South Korea says it's sending special envoy to Iran, with focus on oil shipments

South Korea said the country's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun spoke over the phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday and emphasized "the need for the prompt and safe resumption of free navigation for all vessels, including Korean ships, in the Strait of Hormuz, taking the ceasefire as a momentum."

Cho said South Korea would send a special envoy to Iran to further discuss the situation in the Middle East.

South Korea routes around 70% of its crude oil imports through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

As of April 2, 26 South Korean vessels remained stranded in the Persian Gulf, and South Korea is suffering some of the worst effects of the Iran conflict to its energy sector and economy of any non-combatant country, the CSIS said.