More than 180 Korean seafarers remain aboard over two dozen ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, the oceans ministry said Wednesday, as safety concerns mount after the vital shipping route was effectively closed by the Middle East conflict. A total of 144 Korean crew members are aboard 26 Korean vessels in the key waterway where roughly 20 percent of global oil and gas pass through, the ministry said in a release after holding a meeting to check the situation in the region. An additional 42 Koreans remain on board foreign ships. The crew and vessels are unable to leave the region as the escalating conflict in the Middle East following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran has effectively shut down the shipping channel. The ministry said it maintains a real-time communication system with shipping companies and vessels, while closely monitoring the ships' locations and safety conditions. Vice Oceans Minister Kim Sung-bum, who presided over the meeting, said the ministry is discussing with shipping firms on supplying daily necessities to vessels and arrangements for crew members to disembark and r