(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on Nov. 21) - Fighting piracy

Somali pirates are now taking on the entire world. This week alone, they seized three ships, including a VLCC tanker, and their brazen activities have extended to out of the Gulf of Aden to the seas further south. Stronger and more determined international cooperation is called for to protect the important sea lane and fishing ground.
The Korean government has decided to dispatch a destroyer to join the
international patrolling force operating off the coast of Somalia. The National
Assembly should act promptly on the Defense Ministry's request for its approval
to have the Ganggamchan, one of the Navy's six KDX-II type destroyers, sail to
the area to protect Korean and international vessels and their crews.
The seizure Tuesday of the Sirius Star, built at Korea's Daewoo shipyard and
owned by a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, was the largest sea hijack in history. The
supertanker with a crew of 25 was carrying two million barrels of oil worth $100
million, and the Somali pirates are reported to have demanded $10 million in
ransom. A Greek bulk carrier and a Thai fishing boat were also seized by the
pirates this week.
There has recently been a stunning surge in pirate activity around the Horn of
Africa while the international community was slow and ineffective in coping with
the lawlessness in high seas. According to the International Maritime Bureau 92
ships have been attacked this year -- three times the number in the whole of
2007. At least 14 of those ships, with a combined 250 crewmembers, are still
detained by pirates.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has been urging world governments to send
more air and naval forces to the pirate-ridden coast of Somalia, reported that
Somali pirates had extorted an estimated $25 million to $30 million from the
owners of hijacked vessels this year. The pirates are leading luxurious lives
supported by ransom money, while millions of their fellow Somalis face starvation
as delivery of food aid remains suspended because of the rampant piracy.
It is absolutely incomprehensible that, in the 21st century, such inhuman crimes
are allowed for so long, putting peaceful navigation in danger and even impeding
humanitarian aid. As Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said after the
hijacking of the Sirius Star, piracy is a "disease which is against everybody,
and everybody must address it together."
The seizure of the supertanker prompted Saudi Arabia to join international naval
patrols in the vital shipping lanes near the Red Sea. Japan, whose merchant
vessels are under growing threats from pirates, is also considering special
legislation to dispatch Maritime Self-Defense Force warships and possibly patrol
aircraft to the faraway seas to escort Japanese ships. It is being considered
that its maritime forces will be given permission to engage pirate boats at sea.
The U.N. Security Council passed a declaration in June 2008 authorizing nations
to enter Somali territorial waters in chasing pirates and then adopted Resolution
1838 in October to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia. So far, 11 NATO members
plus India, Malaysia and Russia have sent naval units to the seas off Somalia but
their activities in the vast area are far from enough. The establishment of a
U.N. peacekeeping force under unified command may be positively considered.
Korea is a major maritime player, with advanced shipping, shipbuilding and
deep-sea fishing industries. The nation is obligated to share a significant part
in any form of multinational endeavors to rid the seas of lawlessness.
(END)