Korea working to bring home seized sailors in Iran as early as this week
Posted : 2021-02-07 20:12
Updated : 2021-02-07 20:12
First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun, second from left, leaves Incheon International Airport with other government officials, Jan. 14, after returning from Iran to discuss the country s seizure of a Korean tanker and its crewmembers in the Strait of Hormuz. Korea Times file
South Korea plans to help crew members aboard an oil tanker seized by Iran to return home as early as this week after Tehran s announcement that it will set most of them free, diplomatic sources said Sunday.
Last week, Teheran said it will free the crew members detained aboard the MT Hankuk Chemi, except for the captain, about a month after its military seized the vessel with its crew in the country s waters for allegedly polluting the ocean.
2021-02-03 10:35:16 GMT2021-02-03 18:35:16(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
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SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) South Korea welcomed Iran s decision to release the sailors of a South Korean oil tanker that has been detained at an Iranian port since early January, its Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
South Korea s First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun held phone talks with Iran s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi for about 30 minutes on Tuesday night to discuss the detention issue, according to the ministry.
During the talks, Araghchi notified Choi of Iran s decision to release all the sailors of the MT Hankuk Chemi, except the captain, who is a South Korean national, for the vessel s management.
Why did Iran allow Korean crew to leave?
Posted : 2021-02-03 16:28
Updated : 2021-02-04 09:14
A South Korean-flagged tanker is escorted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats in the Persian Gulf in this Jan. 4 photo released by Tasnim News Agency. Iran decided to release the crew of the tanker except for the captain, Tuesday, but a probe continues, according to the South Korean foreign ministry. AP-Yonhap Tehran calling on Seoul to engage in active negotiations with Washington
By Jung Da-min
Iran s decision to release the crew of a seized Korean oil tanker shows Teheran s conflict with the U.S. over sanctions imposed on it has entered a new phase following the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden, diplomatic experts said Wednesday.19
In this Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 file photo released by Tasnim News Agency, a seized South Korean-flagged tanker is escorted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats on the Persian Gulf. - AP
SEOUL (Xinhua): South Korea welcomed Iran s decision to release the sailors of a South Korean oil tanker that has been detained at an Iranian port since early January, its Foreign Ministry said Wednesday (Feb 3).
South Korea s First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun held phone talks with Iran s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi for about 30 minutes on Tuesday night to discuss the detention issue, according to the ministry.
During the talks, Araghchi notified Choi of Iran s decision to release all the sailors of the MT Hankuk Chemi, except the captain, who is a South Korean national, for the vessel s management.
Korea, Iran poles apart over tanker seizure, frozen assets
Posted : 2021-01-13 15:33
Updated : 2021-01-13 21:23
First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun, left, poses with Iran s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran, Iran, Monday. / Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
By Kang Seung-woo
Korea and Iran remain far apart over the release of a Korean oil tanker and its crewmembers, with First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun leaving Tehran, Tuesday, without any deal despite a series of meetings with senior Iranian officials, including the foreign minister and its central bank chief.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday, the government plans to continue talks with Iran and will work to bring the tanker and crew back home as early as possible, based on Choi s discussions with the Iranian side during his three-day visit. The ministry also said it will actively offer consular assistance to the crewmembers.