Foreign ministers and representatives from more than 40 countries including Korea on April 2 participate in a U.K.-led videoconference to press for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. (Yonhap News)

By Xu Aiying

Foreign ministers and representatives from more than 40 countries including Korea on April 2 discussed how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in a U.K.-led videoconference.

Participants urged Iran to stop its attempts to blockade Hormuz and agreed on global cooperation and efforts for safe passage through the strait.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who chaired the meeting, said in her opening speech, "We have seen Iran hijack an international shipping route to hold the global economy hostage."

She also pledged to explore all economic and diplomatic means to reopen the strait.

In the chair's statement issued right after the meeting, Secretary Cooper said, "To that effect, partners today called for the immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait and respect for the fundamental principles of freedom of navigation and the law of the sea. We discussed a number of areas of possible collective, coordinated, action."

Korea was represented at the event by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-hye. Key NATO allies such as France, Germany and Canada, Gulf nations including the United Arab Emirates and Asian countries like India participated.

The U.S. did not attend.

This meeting is considered the first step among countries seeking to discuss the reopening of the strait, with specific responses to come at working-level meetings later.

xuaiy@korea.kr