SEOUL, April 10 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's foreign ministry said Friday that it has appointed former Ambassador to Kuwait Chung Byung-ha as special envoy to Iran and will soon dispatch him to Tehran to coordinate the safe passage of South Korean vessels and nationals amid the ongoing Middle East tensions.
According to the ministry, Chung, currently serving as ambassador for polar affairs, was named to the post a day after South Korean foreign minister Cho Hyun held telephone talks with his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, on regional developments and bilateral relations.
During the talks, 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 issues concerning ties between the two countries.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a total of 26 South Korean vessels remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has indicated it will provide safe passage in coordination with its armed forces, while warning that ships attempting to pass without prior permission could face possible attacks.
The ministry added that with the dispatch of the special envoy, South Korea plans to exchange views with Iran on the Middle East situation and discuss safe passage arrangements not only for South Korean nationals, vessels and crews, but also for all ships. ■
