Foreign Minister to send special envoy to Iran to assess conflict as cease-fire begins
Published: 09 Apr. 2026, 21:35
![Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a meeting with experts on the Middle East war at the Foreign Ministry in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 9. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/09/abdd0223-c10b-4392-a876-9c5df5dbcf7c.jpg)
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a meeting with experts on the Middle East war at the Foreign Ministry in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 9. [YONHAP]
Korea will send a special envoy to Iran to address issues related to the Middle East conflict, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday, following the cease-fire agreement between the United States and Iran.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun made the remark during his phone talks with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, as Seoul has been weighing measures to best address the 26 vessels with ties to Korea stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, effectively blocked by Iran, including ways to secure their passage through the vital waterway responsible for the transport of 20 percent of global energy supply.
“Minister Cho announced the decision to dispatch a special envoy to Iran to discuss the situation in the Middle East, and bilateral issues between Korea and Iran,” the ministry said in a release.
Cho also stressed that, in light of the cease-fire, the free navigation of all vessels, including Korean ships, in the region must resume promptly and safely, the ministry said, and “asked for continued attention to ensuring the safety of Korean nationals in Iran.”
Araghchi explained Iran's position on the current situation in the Middle East, including the Strait of Hormuz, and agreed to maintain close communication with Seoul on the matter, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Thursday's phone talks were the second of their kind between Cho and Araghchi in just over two weeks. They came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the two-week cease-fire agreed with Tehran.
![Residents examine the site of an Iranian missile strike in Eshtaol, central Israel on March 28. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/09/1fc9dda1-7367-41a6-93f8-3b0ee8fec7f0.jpg)
Residents examine the site of an Iranian missile strike in Eshtaol, central Israel on March 28. [AP/YONHAP]
During the phone calls, Cho also noted that the recent cease-fire agreement between Washington and Tehran provides an opportunity to pave the way for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“He expressed hope that negotiations between the two sides will be successfully concluded, leading to the swift restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East,” the ministry said.
Regarding the stranded Korea-related ships, a Foreign Ministry official said earlier the priority is to identify the conditions Iran has put forward in regard to the passage.
“We will need to clarify the specific criteria or conditions Iran has in mind for passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “Whether any conditions actually exist, or whether the United States and Iran have agreed to allow transit without conditions. That will need to be confirmed before we can decide on measures regarding the vessels.”
![The Strait of Hormuz as seen from satellite imagery [BLOOMBERG/YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/09/ecca45a3-6eb2-48e8-bbd5-1b99aec765d2.jpg)
The Strait of Hormuz as seen from satellite imagery [BLOOMBERG/YONHAP]
In a statement released earlier by Araghchi, safe passage through the strait will be possible for the two-week period through “coordination” with Iran's military and “due consideration of technical limitations,” if attacks against Tehran are stopped.
“We are consulting with shipping firms and communicating with relevant countries on measures for the passage of Korean vessels, taking into account both that the cease-fire has created conditions for resuming the transit and that the situation still remains fluid,” Park Il, ministry spokesperson, said in a press briefing.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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