South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said most South Korea-linked vessels have safely left the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the evacuation process is nearly complete as regional tensions continue to affect maritime traffic.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Lee said South Korean vessels had departed the strategic waterway more quickly than those of many other countries, thanks to coordinated efforts by relevant government agencies.

He noted that only two South Korea-linked vessels remained in the area. One of them was already leaving the Strait of Hormuz, while the other was expected to exit the high-risk zone shortly.

Lee credited the swift evacuation to close coordination among government institutions but cautioned that the impact of the regional crisis was far from over despite the end of active hostilities.

He said the global economy would require time to recover from the conflict and stressed the need to strengthen crisis management capabilities and improve emergency response systems to better address future disruptions.

The president also emphasized the importance of diversifying energy and raw material supply chains, saying greater resilience would help reduce the impact of similar crises in the future.(ILKHA)