President Lee Jae-myung stated regarding South Korean ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz due to the Middle East war, "Excluding two ships—the Namu-ho, which is currently under repair, and one ship that expressed its intention to remain due to cargo issues—the remaining three of the five ships are expected to exit by this weekend."

On June 26, President Lee shared a news article on X (formerly Twitter) reporting that eight additional South Korean ships had escaped the Strait of Hormuz, and wrote the above message.

President Lee assessed, "The fact that the detained merchant ships and their crews were able to escape safely and more quickly than those of any other country is largely due to the effective efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Security Office, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the National Intelligence Service, who worked tirelessly, losing sleep to ensure communication and cooperation."

He added, "I commend the hard work of the public officials in the relevant ministries," and requested, "I ask for your encouragement as well."

A total of 26 South Korean ships were trapped in the strait around the end of February due to the Middle East war.

The ships have been exiting the strait sequentially as progress has been made in the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.

The HMM Namu-ho, which was struck on May 4, is currently undergoing repairs at the Port of Dubai.

(Photo: Blue House Press Corps, Yonhap News)