Foreign ministry to deal with captured Somali pirates

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Friday that it will study how to handle the five Somali pirates captured alive during the South Korean Navy’s rescue operation of crewmembers of the hijacked chemical carrier Samho Jewelry.

The reaction came hours after naval commandos successfully rescued 21 crewmembers and retook the 11,500-ton cargo ship heading to Somali waters. The ship was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea, Saturday.

Despite the bloody gunfire during the 5-hour rescue mission, all crewmembers were unhurt, except the 57-year old captain who was shot in the abdomen. The injury, however, was reported as not serious enough to threaten his life.

In the wake of the anti-piracy operation, the handling of the five captured Somali pirates taken alive, remains a task for the Korean government to deal with.

According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Korea is allowed to seize a pirate ship and arrest the pirates and seize property on board. A South Korean court can impose penalties on pirates or other actions with regard to the ships.

The government can also consider sending the captured pirates to a third country, such as Oman, Kenya or Yemen, for due legal process. It can also set them free without imposing any penalty measures.

A foreign ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity that bringing the pirates to justice here in a local court could entail several challenges.

He said the foreign ministry will stay contact other governments to discuss ways to handle the pirates.