A South Korean crew member of an oil tanker seized by Iran has returned home. 

According to the Foreign Ministry on Thursday, the crew member aboard the MT Hankuk Chemi returned home the previous day for health reasons. 

He is the first South Korean crew member to return home since the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the vessel in the Persian Gulf for alleged marine pollution 37 days ago.

The vessel's owner is currently discussing the disembarkation schedule of other crew members. 

On February 2, the Iranian government announced it would release all of the crew members except the captain.

However, crew are needed to manage the ship and freight. The owner is reportedly recruiting a replacement crew. 

A total of 20 crew members were aboard the ship when it was seized - five South Koreans, eleven Myanmar nationals, two Indonesians and two Vietnamese.

South Korean embassy personnel met with the crew the day after Iran's announcement.