The stern of a bulk carrier operated by South Korean company HMM was struck by an unidentified object on May 4 while it was stopped in the Strait of Hormuz, the country's Foreign Ministry said, following an on-site inspection of the ship on Friday.
A week ago, Seoul reported an explosion and fire on the same vessel - the HMM Namu - in the strait while it was anchored near the United Arab Emirates. No one was injured in the incident, Reuters reported.
US President Donald Trump then said the incident was caused by an Iranian attack.
Seoul was investigating the incident, and the ship was towed to a port in Dubai on Monday after the fire.
It is not certain what kind of object it is, the ministry said, and authorities said the remains would be collected at the site for analysis.
After the incident, Trump called on South Korea to join a currently suspended US-led initiative, called "Project Freedom," to secure navigation through the strait.
The Iranian embassy in South Korea denied responsibility for the attack. It did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment about the facility outside normal business hours.
A spokesman for HMM declined to comment on the ministry's statement.
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