▲ Outcome of probe into explosion on HMM vessel in Hormuz This photo, released by the foreign ministry on May 10, 2026, shows the damaged hull of a South Korean-operated vessel, the Panama-flagged cargo vessel HMM Namu, operated by South Korean shipping firm HMM Co. South Korea has concluded that a strike by "unidentified airborne objects" caused the explosion and fire aboard the vessel in the Strait of Hormuz the previous week. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) S Korea-Hormuz ship blast

(LEAD) S. Korea sends technical analysis team to Dubai to probe strike on Hormuz ship

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details throughout)

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea sent a technical analysis team to Dubai earlier this week to investigate a recent strike on a Korean-operated cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the defense ministry said Thursday.

The ministry dispatched a 10-member team Wednesday to "conduct a scientific investigation and determine the cause of the incident involving the HMM Namu vessel," deputy ministry spokesperson Lee Kyung-ho said in a press briefing.

"The technical analysis team will actively support the joint government response team by determining the exact facts through a thorough on-site investigation, detailed analysis of various pieces of evidence and cooperation with relevant countries," Lee said.

The team includes experts from the Agency for Defense Development, a state defense research institute.

Seoul has been investigating the May 4 explosion and fire on the ship that it has determined to have been caused by a strike by two unidentified flying objects. The suspected attack destroyed the engine room and left a seven-meter-deep puncture on the ship's stern.

No one among the 24 people on board the ship was critically injured in the attack, although one seafarer sustained minor injuries.

The cargo ship, operated by South Korean shipping firm HMM Co., has been towed to a port in Dubai for further analysis.

Drone and missile experts from Korea's defense institute are believed to have already been involved since the beginning of the investigation.

As Seoul plans to bring the engine debris back home for analysis, the dispatched team is expected to focus on the on-site examination of the damaged hull.

Lee said the technical analysis at the incident site and the examination of the engine debris in Korea, once it arrives, will be conducted in parallel.

South Korea has strongly condemned the attack and vowed a thorough investigation to identify the party behind it, while remaining cautious about making any prejudgments about who is responsible.

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