Iran and South Korea agreed to release 19 Korean sailors

Iran and South Korea agreed to release 19 Korean sailors who were captured by Iran earlier last month. Korean captains and ships remain.

On the night of the February 2nd, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Said Hativjade said, At the request of the Korean government, Korean sailors detained for causing environmental pollution in the Persian Gulf were permitted to leave the country under humanitarian measures.

The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said, I made a phone call with Iran's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for about 30 minutes starting at 6:50 pm that night

We agreed to release the sailors with Iran.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Iranian government decided to first lift the detention of the rest of the crew except the captain of the Korean Chemi. A total of 20 captains and sailors boarded the Korea Chemi, with 5 Koreans, 11 Myanmar, 2 Vietnamese and 2 Indonesians. Among them, the Korean captain was excluded from the release. Details such as when the crew members were released and returned to Korea and what agreements were reached between the Iranian and South Korean governments were not disclosed.

The Korean government has met with Iran several times to discuss the release of sailors. Choi Jong-Geon, the first vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urged the Iranian government to do its best to ensure that the captains and ships scheduled to remain in detention are also promptly released from detention. Iran's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sayed Abbas Aragchi has promised to ensure humanitarian treatment and sufficient consular assistance to the captain while the judicial process is in progress, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard captured the ship and crew on the 4th of last month in the Gulf Sea, claiming that the Korean oil tanker Korea Chemi (17,426 tons) violated the Marine Environment Law. Since then, Iran has indicated that there is a different meaning in the capture of ships, such as claiming that the South Korean government is holding Iran's crude oil exports of 7 billion dollars (about 7.7 trillion won) as'hostages'.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also explained to the Iranian side that "the Korean government will push forward with the speed that the government can resolve independently, and that it will transparently proceed with negotiations with the United States on issues that require consultation with the United States.