Crew held by Somali pirates are safe: S. Korea

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Monday it has confirmed the safety of
all the crew members abducted by gunmen off the coast of Somalia over the
weekend.
Five South Koreans and 18 Filipinos were abducted on Saturday when their
20,000-ton cargo ship was seized by a group of pirates, according to the foreign
ministry.
"The five South Korean crew have been confirmed to be safe," ministry spokesman
Moon Tae-young said. "Contact (with the kidnappers) is under way."
Moon said later that all other crew of the Japanese-owned Chemstar Venus were
also unharmed.
He refused to provide other details, including the pirates' demands, citing
possible negative effects to the negotiation of their release.