Seoul – (AFP):
South Korea is preparing to send a government delegation to Iran “as soon as possible” to negotiate the release of the detained oil tanker and its 20-person crew, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
On Monday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced the detention of the South Korean oil tanker, “Hankook Chimi,” on the grounds of its “repeated violation of marine environmental laws,” noting that it was carrying 7200 tons of “petroleum chemicals.”
The statement, carried by the “Sepah News” website, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, pointed to the arrest of the crew members who hold Korean nationalities.