South Korea appoints special envoy to Iran amid Middle East tensions

Seoul (ANTARA) - South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Friday (10/4), appointed former ambassador to Kuwait, Chung Byung-ha, as special envoy to Iran and will soon dispatch him to Tehran. According to the ministry, the envoy will coordinate safe routes for ships and South Korean citizens amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. They also stated that Chung, who currently serves as ambassador for polar affairs, was appointed to the position one day after South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held a telephone discussion with his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, regarding regional developments and bilateral relations. In the discussion, Cho informed the Iranian side of Seoul’s decision to send a special envoy to discuss the situation in the Middle East as well as various issues related to relations between the two countries. According to Yonhap News Agency, 26 South Korean ships are still stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has indicated that it will provide safe routes under coordination with its armed forces, while warning that ships attempting to pass without prior permission risk facing attacks. The ministry added that with the dispatch of this special envoy, South Korea plans to exchange views with Iran on the situation in the Middle East and discuss safe shipping schemes, not only for South Korean citizens, ships, and crew, but also for all ships.