Seoul shelves Project Freedom, keeps other Hormuz initiatives on table

South Korea’s presidential office said Wednesday that Seoul no longer sees a need to review participation in the US-led “Project Freedom” mission after US President Donald Trump suspended the operation.

Cheong Wa Dae, however, stressed that it would continue examining broader international initiatives — whether led by the United States or European countries — aimed at safeguarding security and freedom of navigation across the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have been reviewing the Maritime Freedom Construct," Director of National Security Wi Sung-lac said during a press briefing. "And we were also planning to review Project Freedom, but now that the operation has ended, we believe the review is no longer necessarily needed for the time being.”

Trump announced a pause in Project Freedom, the targeted US military mission to break the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and reopen it to commercial vessels, Tuesday on his social media platform Truth Social.

He said Project Freedom would be "paused for a short period of time" to see whether or not its peace deal with Iran could be finalized or signed, adding that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place until a deal is reached.

Wi also said Seoul has been assessing how the Maritime Freedom Construct and Project Freedom — two separate US-led initiatives aimed at restoring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz — are connected.

“It appears that the Maritime Freedom Construct is a broad approach aimed at stabilizing the strait and ensuring freedom of navigation, while Project Freedom seems to be an assistance operation intended to help vessels pass through the waters immediately,” he said.

Still, Wi stressed that South Korea would continue examining the broader Maritime Freedom Construct based on Seoul’s longstanding position on protecting international shipping routes.

“Likewise, concerning the Maritime Freedom Construct proposed by the US, we are conducting a comprehensive review by taking into account various conditions, including our basic position regarding the strait, our military readiness on the Korean Peninsula and domestic legal procedures.”

Wi explained that, based on that understanding, South Korea has already joined initiatives led by the United Kingdom and France, as well as relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

In April, President Lee Jae Myung pledged to make a “tangible contribution” to securing passage through the Strait of Hormuz while participating in a multilateral summit chaired by the leaders of the United Kingdom and France.

“For us, the safety of international sea lanes and freedom of navigation are extremely important,” Wi said. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital route for South Korea’s imports of crude oil, naphtha and other major petroleum products.

“So we intend to review international initiatives aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation, and participate and cooperate where necessary.”

Wi also explained that the US' recent repeated calls for South Korea to participate in the US-led initiative appeared to be based on the assumption that the HMM Namu fire had been caused by an Iranian attack. However, Wi said Seoul still needs to determine the exact cause of the fire.

The fire broke out at around 8:40 p.m. Monday Seoul time aboard the HMM Namu, a Panama-flagged vessel operated by South Korean shipping company HMM. At the time, it was anchored in waters near the United Arab Emirates on the inner side of the Strait of Hormuz.

After the incident, Trump on Monday publicly linked the HMM Namu fire to Iran and renewed calls for South Korea to join Project Freedom. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday called on South Korea to “step up” to help reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

“Although it is not certain, such remarks from the US appear to have been made on the assumption that our vessel had been attacked,” Wi said.

Wi further explained that “early on in the fire, the possibility of an attack was raised." But Wi added, “After reviewing additional information, we determined that an attack was not certain. There was also no flooding or listing of the vessel.”

Wi emphasized the government's ongoing assessment of the cause of the fire.

He explained that the vessel was currently awaiting towing to a nearby port and that the operation was expected to be completed between Thursday morning Korea time, although the situation remained fluid.

Once the vessel has docked, an investigation team is expected to arrive at the scene to determine the cause of the incident.