S. Korea may send destroyer to combat Somali pirates

By Lee Chi-dong

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is considering dispatching a navy ship to waters off Somalia in a bid to protect its fishing and cargo ships from piracy, Seoul's top diplomat said Tuesday.

"There are (ongoing) consultations (among related ministries) on the issue of
dispatching a navy ship," Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told lawmakers during an
inspection of his ministry. He did not provide further details.
The move comes as eight South Koreans remain in captivity after their freighter
was seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia last month. Thirteen sailors from
Myanmar aboard the ship were also abducted.
Asked about efforts to rescue them, the minister said, "Negotiations are under
way and we expect the case to be resolved before long."
The abductions in pirate-infested Somali waters prompted the government
authorities to hold an emergency meeting to discuss ways of preventing the
recurrence of such an incident.
One proposed idea was to send a navy ship, possibly one of the Yi Sun-shin class
destroyers commissioned in 2003, according to a source.
A resolution adopted by the U.N. Security Council in early June authorized
countries to enter Somalia's territorial waters for a period of six months with
advance notice and use "all necessary means" to stop piracy.
Ships operating in Somali waters often fall prey to pirates. More than 25 cases
of ship kidnappings were reported there last year alone.
A South Korean tuna ship with 25 crew was hijacked by Somali pirates in April
2006. The vessel and its crew were released for a ransom after four months.
In 2007, two South Korean fishing vessels were seized by Somali pirates. The crew
was released after six months in captivity.