Rep. Na Kyung‑won of the People Power Party criticized the government’s handling of the attack on the South Korean freighter HMM Namu near the Strait of Hormuz.
On the afternoon of May 11, she posted on social media to fault the administration for failing to clearly identify who carried out the strike.
She said that although the ship sustained a large breach from the blast, the government never identified the attacker and instead issued the puzzling conclusion that an unidentified aerial object was responsible.
She described the response as a serious dereliction of national duty that downplays and conceals an incident involving the lives of Korean citizens.
Drawing on reports from foreign media and statements by neighboring countries, she challenged the government’s interpretation of events.
She pointed out that Iranian outlets described a specific target and that even the U.S. president made public statements, yet the Lee Jae‑myung administration alone blurred the facts with vague language.
Her criticism was that foreign governments named the attacker clearly while the Korean government used ambiguous terms that appeared aimed at obscuring the truth.
She recalled that when North Korea launched missiles in the past, the government called them projectiles, and she asked whether this has become the Lee Jae‑myung Democratic Party’s “Hong Gil‑dong” administration—unable to call things by their proper name.
She also stressed that the incident constitutes a serious violation of international law.
She argued that, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), transit passage through international straits is guaranteed and that a strike on a merchant vessel in such waters requires a firm response consistent with the principle of proportionality.
She criticized the government for initially suggesting an internal fire aboard the vessel rather than acknowledging an external attack, calling that stance a shameful, self‑inflicted diplomatic failure that undermined the state’s will to protect its citizens.
She also condemned the president’s conduct on the day of the incident.
She said that on the day the ship was hit, the president bypassed the National Security Council and posted about real estate on social media, demonstrating a lack of concern for public safety.
Questioning the consistency of the president’s rhetoric and actions, she asked whether past vows to punish those who harm Koreans are conditional on which country is responsible.
She demanded that the government take strong measures.
She urged the administration to identify the attacker immediately and hold them fully accountable, to replace the diplomatic and security leadership that misled the public, and for the president to personally apologize for this security failure.
The Strait of Hormuz, where the HMM Namu was struck, is a key global oil transit chokepoint and a frequent locus of interstate tension.
On May 4, the Namu was engulfed in flames after a large, unexplained explosion. Experts who conducted on‑site inspections concluded the ship was struck by an external aerial object. The attack left a hole in the hull about 5 m wide and 7 m deep, causing severe damage.
Officials confirmed that all 24 crew members aboard the vessel survived without life‑threatening injuries, but the incident could easily have resulted in mass casualties. Because a civilian merchant ship was damaged by an external attack, identifying the perpetrator and implementing robust measures to prevent recurrence has become an urgent national priority.
