S. Korean naval unit chases away suspected Somali pirates: official

By Sam Kim

SEOUL, April 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Friday its naval unit has driven away suspected pirates attempting to clamber aboard a Denmark-registered ship in troubled Somali waters.

The incident took place Thursday morning (Somali time) about 110km off the coast
of Yemen, a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) official said.
Earlier this week, a South Korean warship began operating in the Gulf of Aden as
part of a U.S.-led multinational anti-piracy campaign.
The Munmu the Great destroyer, carrying a crew of 300, received a distress call
at 8:25 a.m., when a Denmark-registered commercial vessel reported it was being
chased by a boat carrying pirates.
The 2,100-ton Puma was located only about 55km from the South Korean destroyer,
Army Col. Lee Hyoung-kook, a JCS official who oversees South Korea's Cheonghae
Naval contingent, said.
The destroyer dispatched its Lynx anti-submarine helicopter, which arrived at the
troubled site in just over 20 minutes, Lee said.
"The pirates were about to climb aboard the ship. But as the helicopter
threatened to fire, they turned away," he said.
The helicopter chased the boat about 20km before spotting a larger vessel
suspected of being a base for pirate speedboats. The helicopter returned without
engaging in combat, later joining a U.S. naval helicopter that had also arrived
there, Lee said.
Somali pirates have recently vowed to step up their attacks after U.S. naval
forces thwarted the hijacking of an American vessel.
Somalia has not had a functional government since its dictator was overthrown by
warlords in 1991. Poverty has driven a large number of locals to piracy, while
black market sales of weapons run rampant.
According to the U.S. navy, about two dozen hijackings have occurred this year,
well ahead of the pace in 2008.
About 500 South Korean ships ply the route each year, according to the JCS.