South Korea says review of participation in US Strait of Hormuz mission unnecessary

South Korea on Wednesday said it was now “unnecessary” to review a proposal by the US to participate in its Strait of Hormuz mission.

“Suspension of Project Freedom makes Seoul’s review of participation unnecessary,” said a statement from the presidential office, according to Yonhap News.

The decision came after US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the US military will temporarily pause “Project Freedom” to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump had demanded Seoul participate in the mission, announced on Sunday by the US president, to secure passage of vessels in the key waterway, currently blocked by Iran as well as American forces.

Seoul had said it was reviewing the US proposal.

Earlier, a South Korean vessel, carrying 24 crew members, caught fire following an explosion in Hormuz, off the United Arab Emirates.

Ahead of its decision to declare the review unnecessary, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was briefed Wednesday on the situation of HMM Namu vessel, which has been left disabled.

It was the first South Korean-operated vessel to have been hit in the waterway since Feb. 28 when the US and Israel initiated war on Iran.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told Lee the affected vessel “will be moved to a nearby port to assess the extent of the damage.”

Seoul has said it will take several days to find the actual cause of the explosion and fire.