The statement from Seoul followed a call by US President Donald Trump urging South Korea to participate in efforts to escort commercial shipping through the waterway, a critical route for global energy supplies.

South Korea’s defense ministry said it would “carefully review our position” without committing to any deployment, adding that its decision would take into account international law, maritime safety, the alliance with the United States, and security conditions on the Korean Peninsula.

An explosion and fire were reported on Monday aboard the Panama-flagged cargo ship HMM Namu while it was anchored near the United Arab Emirates within the strait. All 24 crew members, including six South Korean nationals, were unharmed, according to the foreign ministry.

The cause of the incident remains under investigation, with South Korean authorities saying the extent of the damage will be assessed after the vessel is secured.

Trump said the incifent should prompt Seoul to join US efforts, suggesting the vessel may have come under Iranian fire, although this has not been independently confirmed.The Strait of Hormuz has seen sharply reduced shipping activity since late February due to ongoing hostilities involving Iran, effectively disrupting a key artery for oil exports.

The United States has launched a naval initiative aimed at guiding stranded vessels through the area, amid reports of repeated maritime incidents and exchanges between US and Iranian forces.

South Korea, which depends heavily on Middle Eastern energy imports, said it is participating in international discussions on ensuring safe passage through the strait. Officials also emphasized that any decision on involvement would reflect broader strategic and legal considerations, including domestic procedures.

The incident highlights growing risks to commercial shipping in the region, as governments weigh responses to protect trade routes while avoiding deeper military entanglement in the conflict.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it was analyzing the latest launch in coordination with U.S. authorities. A separate launch detected on Tuesday from the Pyongyang area is believed to have involved a ballistic missile, though officials said it may have failed shortly after takeoff.

Yonhap news agency, citing military officials, reported that Tuesday’s projectile flew eastward before showing signs of abnormality in the early stage of flight and disappearing. South Korean authorities are assessing whether the launch constituted a failed ballistic missile test.

Seoul typically confirms ballistic missile launches promptly as they violate United Nations Security Council resolutions, while taking a more cautious approach when projectiles may be cruise missiles or conventional weapons.

North Korea has consistently rejected UN restrictions on its weapons programs, arguing they infringe on its sovereign right to self-defense.

The launches come amid renewed tensions following statements from North Korean officials indicating no shift in their stance toward South Korea. Jang Kum Chol, a senior foreign ministry official, said Pyongyang continues to view Seoul as a hostile adversary despite recent diplomatic signals.

“The identity of the ROK, the enemy state most hostile to the DPRK, can never change with any words or conduct,” Jang was quoted as saying by state media KCNA, using the formal acronyms for South and North Korea.

His remarks followed earlier comments from Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which some in Seoul had interpreted as conciliatory after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over drone incursions earlier this year.

Jang said those remarks were intended as a warning rather than a gesture of goodwill, underscoring Pyongyang’s continued hardline posture.
The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war, as the 1950–1953 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.