S. Korean unit saves N. Korean ship from suspected Somali pirates: official

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, May 4 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean naval unit has rescued a North Korean
vessel from being hijacked by suspected pirates in Somali waters, a Joint Chiefs
of Staff official said Monday.

The incident took place at 5:40 a.m. (Korean time) Monday along the
Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor, the official said.
A South Korean warship, Munmu the Great, has been operating in the Gulf of Aden
as part of a U.S.-led multinational anti-piracy campaign since early last month.
"As soon as our destroyer received a call for help from the North Korean vessel,
it dispatched its Linx helicopter," the official said in Seoul.
Having come as close as 3 km to the North Korean ship, the suspected pirates
turned away after seeing the South Korean attack helicopter arrive, the official
said.
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.
Approximately 500 South Korean ships ply the route each year, according to the
JCS, which estimates that 150 of them are vulnerable to pirate attacks because of
their low speed.
According to the U.S. navy, about two dozen hijackings have occurred this year,
well ahead of the pace in 2008.
Pirates use conventional weapons, such as automatic weapons and rocket launchers,
and capture commercial vessels by clambering aboard with ladders and grappling
hooks.
The two Koreas remain technically at war after their 1950-53 Korean War ended
without a formal peace treaty.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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