S. Korean team to head to Somalia to weigh troop dispatch

By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Yonhap) -- A group of 11 South Korean officials will leave for
Somalia next week to determine whether their government should dispatch naval
forces to thwart attempts by Somali pirates to abduct South Korean ships, the
Defense Ministry said Friday.
The group, consisting of diplomats and officials from the Defense Ministry, the
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the Navy, will depart Monday, the ministry said.
Seoul officials said earlier the government was considering dispatching a Navy
warship to Somali waters, where a number of South Korean commercial vessels have
fallen prey to pirates in recent years.
Eight South Korean and 14 Myanmarese crew members aboard a South Korean
freighter were released last week after their ship was seized by the pirates
last month.
"The government is reviewing various ways to support activities by South Korean
ships in Somali waters while also joining international efforts to secure safety
on sea routes (in the area)," the ministry said in a statement.
The survey team, headed by Brig. Gen. Choi Soo-yong, deputy director of the
operations support bureau at the JCS, will stay in the East African country
until the end of the month, the Defense Ministry said.
The South Korean officials will also visit the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth
Fleet in Bahrain to examine current conditions in the area and discuss ways to
cooperate with ongoing international efforts to halt pirate activities there, it
said.
Currently, 21 nations, including Australia, Britain and France, maintain a
permanent naval presence in Somali waters. Pirates operating in the area are said
to avoid abducting citizens from those countries out of fear of immediate and
fierce retaliation.
Naval officials believe a permanent presence in Somali waters, even with a single
ship, will help significantly reduce abduction attempts on South Korean ships
passing through the area as it will help secure more swift cooperation from other
naval forces present there.
"Whether or not we will dispatch our naval forces will be decided through
consultation among related government offices and based on findings of the survey
team upon its return," the ministry said.
Ministry and Navy officials have said if the government does decide to dispatch a
warship, the smallest it would send is a 5,500-ton KDX-II class destroyer, which
can carry up to 300 crew members and is equipped with various anti-ship missiles
and torpedoes, as well as a helipad.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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