[사진 = 연합뉴스]– A South Korean oil tanker, “Korea Kemiho,” was detained by Iran’s regular military revolutionary garrison, and Iranian government spokesman Ali Raviei argued that “the Korean government is holding 7 billion dollars (about 7.6 trillion won) hostage.
According to Reuters news agency, on the 5th (local time), spokesman Ali Ravie said in an online press conference that “it is Korea, not us (Iran), who are holding $7 billion of Iranian funds hostage.”
He added, “If hostage play exists, it is the Korean government that freezes US$ 7 billion of our funds for groundless reasons.”
Raviei spokesman’s remarks are interpreted as the background of the capture of Korean chemistry because Iranian funds, whose withdrawals were frozen in Korean accounts, were due to US sanctions.
The Associated Press evaluated the remarks on the day as “the most straightforward recognition of the association with frozen assets.”
According to the Bank of Korea, IBK Industrial Bank, and Woori Bank, the frozen Iranian funds in Korea are estimated to be about 7 billion dollars. The reserves for excess payment of general banks deposited in the BOK were KRW 3.437.3 trillion as of September last year, and more than 90% of this fund was entrusted by Melat Bank’s Seoul branch in Iran.
Separately, IBK and Woori Bank have also frozen Iran’s crude oil exports. The two banks opened accounts in won in the name of the Iranian central bank in 2010. This account was used to support imports of Iranian crude oil and exports to Iran by domestic exporters.
However, as the U.S. government put Iranian central banks on sanctions list in 2018, transactions through this account were halted, and the Iranian government has demanded to lift the frozen funds.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards captured the Korean national ship’Korea Chemie’ in the Gulf waters at 10 am the previous day for marine pollution. However, DM Shipping, a shipping company of Korea Chemie, completely denied the allegations of marine pollution.
Inside Iran, there are claims that Korean ships captured by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard should compensate for maritime pollution.
According to Iran’s semi-governmental Mehr news agency, Iranian Shipping Association Chairman Masud Polme argued on the day that “Korean ships were arrested for repetitive violations of environmental laws,” and “must pay compensation for environmental pollution.” However, President Polme did not mention specific cases of environmental pollution or the amount of compensation.
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