Three Korean fishermen kidnapped
Navy unit dispatched to Ghana for rescue operations
By Yi Whan-woo
Pirates have kidnapped three Korean fishermen off Ghana, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sunday.
It said President Moon Jae-in had ordered the Navy's nearby anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit to help secure the Koreans' release.
The unit aboard Munmu the Great, a 4,500-ton KDX II destroyer, had been operating off Salalah Port in Oman. The ship is expected to arrive in the abduction area on April 16.
It remains unknown where and why the hostages were taken, according to the foreign ministry.
Citing Ghanaian authorities, China's Xinhua News Agency reported that the Korean hostages were believed to have been taken to the southern part of Nigeria.
For security reasons, the Seoul government kept the kidnapping of the captain, a mate and an engineer on March 26 under embargo until Saturday.
Nine pirates, presumably Nigerians and heavily armed, used a speedboat to approach and seize a tuna fishing boat, Marine 711.
The three Koreans were among the crew of 40, mostly Ghanaians, of Marine 711, registered in Ghana by a Korean fishing company.
According to the foreign ministry, the pirates had earlier tried and failed to hijack Greek ships. But they took two people hostage and they were also on the speedboat.
The pirates sailed Marine 711 to waters off Nigeria, where the Nigerian navy chased them.
They pirates abandoned the Marine 711 on the maritime border between Nigeria and Benin, but transferred the three Koreans to the speedboat and then raced away.
Marine 711 arrived at the Port Of Tema on Ghana's eastern coast on March 28 and its Ghanaian sailors were released.
The foreign ministry said the pirates had not yet demanded a ransom in return for releasing the fishermen.
It also said it was cooperating closely with Ghana, Nigeria and other neighboring nations to find the Koreans.
“Given from the past incidents, it's possible the pirates could release the hostages in unexpected locations,” a ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
“It's also possible that they could ask for ransom. We can't be sure which is going to happen.”
A different official said the pirates off Ghana had released hostages for the last couple of months after seizing crude oil, fish and valuables.
President Moon was briefed about the kidnapping while he was visiting the United Arab Emirates.
Immediately after returning home, he ordered officials to “make all-out efforts to secure the Koreans' release,” according to Cheong Wa Dae.
The Cheonghae Unit has 340 troops, including Navy commandos and pilots.
Since 2009, it has been on a mission to escort and protect Korean and foreign vessels near the coast of Somalia.
In 2011, it daringly rescued a Korean-flagged freighter, the Samho Jewelry, and its crew in an operation code-named “Dawn of Gulf of Aden,” after Somali pirates had hijacked the vessel.