S. Korea to hold drill to counter Somali pirate threat

SEOUL (Yonhap) - South Korea was to conduct an exercise off its southeastern coast later Wednesday to help improve the country's ability to deal with threats from Somali pirates, the government said.
Two commercial ships, military personnel and government officials will participate in the drill off Busan, South Korea's largest port city about 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said. Another drill is scheduled for Friday.
The exercise will involve a mock pirate attack on a merchant ship, which will be rescued by troops using helicopters and high-speed boats, the ministry said.
"The exercise is designed to better train mariners and soldiers on how to avoid capture and carry out a rescue operation against a ship controlled by pirates," the ministry said. "Training is necessary because pirate activity is expected to rise from September after the end of the Indian Ocean monsoon season."
The ministry said that local shipping lines must inform their sailors of ways to respond to a pirate attack, such as raising alarms and hiding in the so-called citadel to avoid becoming hostages.
The training will also give soldiers being sent to waters off Africa's east coast a chance to practice anti-pirate tactics using actual merchant ships.
Seoul has deployed a destroyer to the region since March 2009, and plans to send a replacement warship and crew in early August.
Since 2006, two South Korean ships and seven vessels manned by Korean sailors have been hijacked, with the Singapore-registered 21,000-ton MT Gemini still being held by pirates after being captured in early May.