'No justification for impeding navigation,' Seoul says, expressing deep solidarity with Riyadh
South Korea on Monday strongly condemned recent Houthi rebel attacks on civilian facilities in southern Saudi Arabia that left multiple people injured, and urged the Yemen-based group to immediately stop actions that threaten safe navigation in the Red Sea and to refrain from further escalation.
South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a spokesperson's statement condemning "the Houthi attacks that recently targeted civilian and economic facilities in southern Saudi Arabia, causing multiple civilian casualties."
"We emphasize that attacks on civilians and civilian facilities, as well as actions that impede the free and safe navigation of vessels, cannot be justified under any circumstances, and urge an immediate halt to such attacks," the ministry said.
The government made clear that stability in the Red Sea is directly tied to the national economy and global trade. "We emphasize that peace and stability in the Middle East — including the guarantee of free and safe navigation in the Red Sea — is important to the entire international community, including South Korea, from the perspective of global supply chains and energy security," the statement said.
The ministry added that the government "expresses its deep solidarity with Saudi Arabia in connection with these attacks" and urged the Houthis "to refrain from actions that escalate the situation."
sunpine@heraldcorp.com
