By Jane Han
Staff Reporter

A South Korean naval warship chased away pirates who were seeking to hijack a North Korean vessel in seas off Somalia Monday, according to Seoul's military officials, an incident that comes amid increasingly tense relations between the two Koreas.

After receiving a distress signal from the North Korean vessel, the South Korean destroyer, Mummu the Great, which was only 3 kilometers away from the suspected pirate ship, dispatched a Lynx helicopter with snipers on board.

The pirates retreated when the snipers threatened to open fire, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.

The South Korean ship continued to guide the North Korean ship at its request, and later received a thank you message from the North Koreans.

The two sides reportedly exchanged numerous messages back and forth, a rare instance of communication and cooperation, especially at a time when Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program and recent controversial rocket launch has worsened already-icy relations.

The 2,100-ton South Korean destroyer has been escorting cargo vessels in the region since April. This is the third time that the naval unit has thwarted pirates. Last month, it helped a Marshall Islands-registered ship and a Danish vessel after receiving distress calls.

About two dozen hijackings have occurred this year off the coast of Somalia, according to the U.S. navy.

Somalia has been without a functional government since its dictator was overthrown in 1991, fueling piracy and poverty amid lawlessness there.

jhan@koreatimes.co.kr