Kidnapped Korean sailors telephone families: official

Four Korean sailors held hostage by Somali pirates for more than 17 months telephoned their family members early this week and said they were in safe condition, a senior official at Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

All four of the Korean hostages made calls to their family members on Monday, on the same day the families held a press conference in Seoul and urged their government to step in to help with their safe return, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Somali pirates hijacked the 21,000-ton vessel MT Gemini, operated by Singapore-based Glory Ship Management, along with 25 crew including the four Koreans, off the coast of Kenya on April 30, 2011. Last December, the pirates freed the vessel but broke an agreement to release all of the crew, keeping the four Koreans captive while releasing the 21 non-Korean crew members.

"The four kidnapped sailors separately made international calls to their family members on Monday evening and told them they are safe and healthy," the official said.

The Somali pirates did not make any specific demand to the families, the official said.

The telephone calls between the sailors and their family members were the first since late July. Family members said the pirates had frequently called their homes until late July, threatening to kill the hostages.

The South Korean ministry attributed a big difference in ransom payments to the scant progress in negotiations between the Singaporean shipping company and the Somali pirates to release the four Koreans.

South Korea maintains a policy of not negotiating with pirates but ministry officials said they are making every effort to help the Singaporean firm have the men freed. (Yonhap)