Arlington, Virginia — War Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed calls from President Donald Trump for South Korea to join the United States’ “Project Freedom” mission after a ship operated by a major Seoul-based shipping firm suffered an explosion in the Strait of Hormuz.
The HMM Namu cargo vessel reported an explosion and fire on Monday while it was anchored near the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and South Korean officials say they are working to verify whether it was caused by an attack.
The boat’s crew was made up of six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals. No casualties have been reported so far, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
Trump seems to already be convinced that the Iranian regime is the culprit behind the blast, writing in a Monday Truth Social post that they have “taken some shots” at nations “unrelated” to the United States’ newly-announced “Project Freedom” effort to free foreign ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran has taken some shots at unrelated Nations with respect to the Ship Movement, PROJECT FREEDOM, including a South Korean Cargo Ship,” the president wrote. “Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!”
He continued, “We’ve shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, ‘fast’ Boats. It’s all they have left. Other than the South Korean Ship, there has been, at this moment, no damage going through the Strait.”
When asked by Breitbart News if Seoul is in communication with the U.S. military about the explosion and if there has been any indication that they would heed Trump’s call to join Project Freedom, Hegseth confirmed that contact has been made and stated that the American effort in the strait is aimed at “set[ting] the conditions” for other countries to help out.
“We hope so,” the secretary said, replying directly to the prospect of South Korea joining the project.
“We’re in contact with that ship — CENTCOM, I should say — and the maritime coordination forces are in touch,” Hegseth explained, referring to the U.S. Central Command.
He continued on to argue that the “targeting” of a South Korean cargo ship “is a reflection of the indiscriminate nature of what Iran is doing.”
“We hope South Korea would step up, just like we hope Japan would step up, just like we hope Australia would step up, just like we hope Europe steps up,” Hegseth added. “But we’re not waiting for them to do so. We’re looking to set the conditions to hand to them.”
“The President was clear in his Truth Social message that, ‘Hey, this is your ship. You should take part in helping to defend it.’ We very much hope they do,” he concluded.
As Breitbart News’s Frances Martel wrote earlier on Tuesday, the explosion aboard the Namu came just hours after Korean media reported that President Lee Jae-myung was weighing sending ships to help the “Maritime Freedom Construct” (MFC), a more long-term initiative the Pentagon and State Department announced last week.
The Korea Times reported on Sunday that the Ministry of National Defense had suggested publicly joining the team, stating, “We are taking into account relevant issues in a comprehensive manner, including international law, the safety of international sea lanes, the Korea-U.S. alliance, the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and domestic legal procedures.”
Lee had previously committed to offering a “practical contribution” to security in the Strait, without publicly elaborating, Martel noted.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.