South Korea’s confirmation that the damage sustained by the HMM Namu was caused by an external strike is narrowing Seoul’s diplomatic room for maneuver between Washington and Tehran, increasing pressure on the Lee Jae Myung administration to strengthen maritime security coordination with the U.S. while avoiding direct confrontation with Iran.

During a rare Sunday evening briefing, Seoul’s foreign ministry said a joint government investigation concluded that “two unidentified aerial objects (미상 발사체)” struck the Panama-flagged cargo vessel near the Strait of Hormuz on May 4, igniting a fire that forced the ship to be towed to Dubai Port.

While