S.Korean team departs for Iran to negotiate over seized tanker

Seoul, Jan 7 : A South Korean delegation embarked on a visit to Iran on Thursday in an effort to try and negotiate the early release of an oil tanker which was seized by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Gulf over what Tehran claimed to be “repeated violations” of environmental protocols.
According to the South Korean government, the delegation is being led by Koh Kyung-sok, Director-General of the Foreign Ministry’s Africa and Middle Eastern Affairs, reports Yonhap News Agency.
The delegation will arrive in Tehran via Qatar.
“I plan to meet my counterpart at the Iranian foreign ministry, and will meet others through various routes if that will help efforts to address the ship’s seizure,” Yonhap News Agency quoted Koh as saying to reporters at the Incheon International Airport ahead of his departure.
The tanker, Hankuk Chemi, was en route to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when it was seized in the Gulf by the IRGC on Monday “for repeated violations of marine environmental laws”.
It was carrying 7,200 tonnes of chemicals derived from petroleum and 20 crewmembers — five South Koreans, 11 Myanmarese, two Indonesians and two Vietnamese.