President Yoon’s Remarks Leads to New Worries About Threats to Korean Shipping from Iran
If the Iranian regime tries to again seize a ROK vessel doesn’t this just validate everything President Yoon said? If Iran doesn’t want to be the enemy of other Middle East nations maybe they should stop sponsoring terrorism and advancing their nuclear and missile programs:
Korea’s lingering diplomatic conflict with Iran, inflamed by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s recent remarks branding the Middle Eastern country as the archenemy of the United Arab Emirates, has been mentioned as a potential threat to the Korean shipping industry, since the Korea Shipowners’ Association (KSA) issued a warning last Wednesday to vessels sailing in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to “remain vigilant.”
Korea Times
Just a few days after Yoon sparked the diplomatic controversy during his visit to the UAE, the KSA sent a letter to its members to warn them of growing concerns about the safety of ships sailing off the coast of Iran.
You can read more at the link.
Actually what it validates is that President Yoon created an unnecessary diplomatic issue with his comment.
It also doesn’t help that the PPP are rallying around him repeating and reaffirming his comments while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are trying to explain to the Iranians that the President was merely trying to rally the troops and not meant that the UAE and Iran were “enemies.”
There is also the issue of USD 7 billion in Iranian money being held in Korea as a result of Trump not renewing the JCPOA and reimposing sanctions on Iran.
The Iranians want their money back, the Koreans don’t want to offend the US, so on top of the delicate situation, we have the President say something that may not help the above situation.