(3rd LD) Rival parties spar over gov't response to attack on S. Korean vessel in Hormuz

▲ Jang Dong-hyeok (R), chief of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks during a meeting of its supreme council at the National Assembly in Seoul on May 11, 2026. (Yonhap)

▲ Rep. Kim Gunn (R) of the main opposition People Power Party, who serves as secretary of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on May 11, 2026. (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, released by the foreign ministry on May 10, 2026, shows a 7-meter-wide rupture in the hull of a South Korean-operated vessel, the Panama-flagged cargo vessel 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 last week. (Yonhap)

(3rd LD) main opposition-Hormuz vessel

(3rd LD) Rival parties spar over gov't response to attack on S. Korean vessel in Hormuz

(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES throughout with response from ruling party; ADDS photo)

SEOUL, May 11 (Yonhap) -- Rival parties stood at odds Monday over the government's response to a strike on a South Korean-operated cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) accusing the government of downplaying what it called an Iranian attack.

Tensions between the ruling and opposition parties escalated after a South Korean investigation team concluded that two "unidentified airborne objects" caused an explosion and fire aboard the Panama-flagged cargo vessel HMM Namu, operated by South Korean shipping firm HMM Co., in the conflict-hit strait last week.

"Our government earlier insisted there were low chances that the vessel had come under attack," PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok said during a meeting of the party's supreme council, slamming the government for failing to identify Iran as being behind the attack.

"Now that the strike has been confirmed, it is saying it will not prejudge who was behind the attack. (The government) has no willingness whatsoever to protect the safety and property of the people," Jang added.

The PPP leader also argued that Iranian state media has already acknowledged the attack.

"It's like the attacker is making a confession, and the person who got hit is denying it," he said.

Last week, Iran's state-run Press TV published a commentary piece implying that targeting a South Korean vessel that violated maritime rules could constitute a sovereign right, though it did not provide evidence.

The Iranian government has denied any military involvement in the attack.

Announcing the results of the investigation Sunday, South Korea's foreign ministry said the unidentified flying objects were captured on surveillance footage but that there were limitations in determining their exact type, origin and physical size.

South Korea plans to conduct further analysis of engine debris recovered from the scene, the ministry said, stressing that the government will not prejudge who is to blame for the incident.

PPP floor leader Song Eon-seog criticized the government's delayed response to what he described as a "grave security issue with people's lives at stake."

"It took the Lee Jae Myung government nearly a week to officially confirm that the vessel had come under attack, and even then it tried to move on using the vague expression of 'unidentified airborne objects,'" he said.

PPP lawmakers on the parliamentary defense and foreign affairs committees accused the government of covering up the incident in a joint press conference at the National Assembly, calling for the swift convening of plenary committee sessions to determine the truth behind the attack.

"We define the current situation as effectively a wartime situation and urge the government to immediately, albeit belatedly, begin responding sternly from this point forward," they said.

Later in the day, PPP lawmakers on the defense committee unilaterally held a plenary session without ruling party lawmakers in attendance, arguing that the president should be held accountable for failing to protect his own people.

Members of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on the foreign affairs and unification committee condemned the PPP's criticism as political attacks ahead of the local elections.

"Focusing only on electoral gains and jeopardizing the safety of our citizens, even if we are in the midst of an election period, runs counter to the national interest," DP lawmakers said in a separate press conference.

They warned against drawing hasty conclusions without clear evidence, calling on politicians to focus on protecting the lives and safety of the people.

The Namu, along with some 2,000 other vessels, has been stranded in the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran that began in late February.

The vessel was carrying 24 crew members, including six South Koreans, with no injuries or casualties reported.

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