A Korean oil tanker being dragged by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. AFP=Yonhap News
– On the 4th, the Korean national oil tanker’Korea Chemie’ was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Iran makes environmental pollution as its cause, but the relationship between Korea and Iran, which has been frozen so far, is also drawing attention.
Qatar state-run media Al Jazeera cited South Korea’s freezing of accounts against Iran as one of the backgrounds behind the arrest of oil tankers. Al Jazeera, who delivered news of the detention of a Korean oil tanker, reported on the 4th that “Side Katipjade, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said on the 4th that “a high-ranking Korean foreign ministry official will visit Tehran this week to discuss the issue of freezing crude oil exports.” Spokesman Katipjade added, “I hope this visit is the end of the deadlock negotiations.”
The United States restored sanctions against Iran after withdrawing from the nuclear agreement (JCPOA, Comprehensive Joint Action Plan) with Iran in May 2018. South Korea, an alliance of the United States, is implementing sanctions due to concerns over secondary sanctions. As a result, trade with Iran was virtually halted, and KRW-denominated accounts opened at banks in Korea under the name of the Iranian Central Bank were also frozen.
Iran warned in July last year that South Korea could sue Korea to the International Court of Justice, saying that South Korea is tying up $7 billion in crude oil exports (about 7.57 trillion won).
In order to alleviate Iran’s dissatisfaction, South Korea exported 500,000 dollars worth of medicines to Iran in May last year through consultations with the United States on a humane basis.
Reporter Lee Hae-jun [email protected]
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