Replacement ship for S. Korean anti-piracy unit to depart this week

By Sam Kim

SEOUL, Nov. 18 (Yonhap) -- A destroyer will depart this week from South Korea to take over for the country's anti-piracy unit operating in Somali waters under a U.S.-led multinational campaign, the Navy said Wednesday.

The arrival of the 4,500-ton Yi Sun Shin in the Gulf of Aden will mark the second
replacement of the 300-strong Cheonghae unit since its deployment earlier this
year.
The destroyer will replace the Dae Jo Yeong after it departs from South Korea on
Friday, carrying kimchi -- a pickled vegetable dish that is a Korean staple --
and other food for the troops, the Navy said in a statement.
Officials said they are sending the ship ahead of an expected extension of the
mandate for the deployment by parliament later this month.
"We're trying to prevent a delay in the return of the troops currently operating
in the Somali waters by sending the replacement earlier than the extension of the
mandate," a Navy official said.
The unit protects South Korean vessels off the Somali coast, and lends support to
ships of other nations in nearby waters under a humanitarian banner.
Approximately 500 South Korean ships ply the Gulf of Aden each year. About 150 of
them are vulnerable to pirate attacks because of their low speed, according to
the defense ministry in Seoul.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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