May 14, 2026
SEOUL – South Korea is keeping a missile strike among the possible explanations for the damage to the HMM Namu vessel, national security adviser Wi Sung-lac said Wednesday.
Wi’s remarks came after Seoul said Sunday for the first time that the Panama-flagged vessel, operated by a South Korean shipping company and carrying six Korean and 18 foreign crew members, had been struck by unidentified flying objects.
“There is no separate reason for not specifically identifying it as a drone at this stage. We simply believe further assessment is needed based on the investigation and inspection results obtained so far,” Wi said during a meeting with managing editors of local newspapers and broadcasters.
“If it was not a drone, it could have been something else, including a missile. All possibilities remain open.”
The stern of the HMM Namu was struck twice at roughly one-minute intervals on May 4, according to the South Korean government’s joint investigation. The vessel was anchored in waters near the United Arab Emirates on the inner side of the Strait of Hormuz.
Seoul, however, has yet to determine where the objects came from, who launched them or whether the strike was an intentional attack on the vessel. The unidentified objects have also raised questions over whether they were missiles or drones.
Wi also said South Korea is reviewing a possible role in international efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, including the US-proposed Maritime Freedom Construct.
“We are reviewing various forms of international solidarity aimed at ensuring free and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. But we have yet to decide what role we could play,” Wi told editors.
Wi said the review reflects Seoul’s long-standing position that South Korea should contribute to ensuring free passage through the strategic waterway, without ruling out potential military contributions.
“It is difficult to discuss details because the review is still underway, but there could be military roles at various levels,” Wi said. “We are examining multiple options, beginning with lower-level contributions, to determine how far we can go.”
Wi said Seoul was reviewing US-proposed initiatives, including the Maritime Freedom Construct, as part of broader international coordination efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait and amid ongoing consultations with relevant countries.
“The government is reviewing the Maritime Freedom Construct from the same standpoint applied to other forms of international cooperation,” Wi said.
The United States initially proposed two separate initiatives: the Maritime Freedom Construct and Project Freedom, a targeted US military mission aimed at breaking Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and reopening the waterway to commercial vessels.
Seoul views the Maritime Freedom Construct as a broader multinational framework focused on stabilizing the strait and safeguarding freedom of navigation, while Project Freedom was seen as a more immediate operational mission to assist commercial vessels transiting the area.
However, US President Donald Trump announced in early May that Project Freedom would be paused “for a short period of time” to determine whether a peace agreement with Iran could be finalized, while saying the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place until a deal is reached.
Wi’s remarks came after South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said he had told US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during their meeting that Seoul would review possible contributions in phases to help ensure freedom of navigation through the strait.
“The Defense Ministry said only that it would review ways to contribute in phases, while comprehensively taking into account international law and domestic legal procedures,” Ahn said Tuesday during a press briefing in Washington.
South Korea has already joined maritime security initiatives led by the United Kingdom and France, as well as related UN Security Council efforts.
In April, President Lee Jae Myung pledged to make a “tangible contribution” to securing safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz during a multilateral summit chaired by the leaders of the United Kingdom and France.