South Korea's foreign ministry appointed former Ambassador to Kuwait Chung Byung-ha as special envoy to Iran to coordinate safe passage for its vessels and nationals amid the Middle East conflict. He will be sent to Tehran soon. The announcement came a day after Foreign Minister Cho Hyun's phone talks with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
South Korea's foreign ministry on Friday appointed Chung Byung-ha, former ambassador to Kuwait and currently ambassador for polar affairs, as its special envoy to Iran, officials said. He will head to Tehran soon to coordinate safe passage for South Korean vessels and nationals amid the Middle East conflict.
The ministry made the announcement a day after Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held phone talks with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi. During the call, Cho revealed the decision to dispatch the envoy to discuss the Middle East situation and bilateral issues between the two countries.
A total of 26 South Korea-related vessels remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian control. Iran has said it will offer safe passage in coordination with its armed forces but warned of attacks on ships attempting to pass without permission.
"With the dispatch of the special envoy, the foreign ministry plans to share views on the Middle East situation and discuss passage not only for our nationals, vessels and crews, but for all ships," the ministry said.
The ministry also appointed Lee Kyung-chul, special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan affairs, concurrently as special envoy for Middle East peace. He will handle broader peace initiatives in the region, including efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
