By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
Five South Koreans kidnapped by Somali pirates last November off the coast of the African country were released after having been held captive for 90 days, confirmed an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Friday.
The official said on condition of anonymity that they were released at 9:30 pm (Seoul time) Friday.
``They are now on their way to the open seas and all of them are known to be in good health,'' said the source.
The Japanese-owned Chemstar Venus where the Korean crews are on board will dock at a harbor in the United Arab Emirates and the Korean crews are scheduled to return to Seoul after receiving a medical checkup in Dubai.
The confirmation came shortly after reports said that the two sides nearly completed negotiations (on the release) and only technical procedures remain, including the remittance of ransom citing a government source.
The Cemstar Venus was hijacked last year in the Gulf of Aden.
Following the hijacking, the South Korean government has worked closely with the Japanese for the safe return of the crew members.
This week, Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone visited Seoul for a ministerial talk with his South Korean counterpart Yu Myung-hwan and the two diplomats vowed to work closely to deal with the Somali hijacking case. They did not offer the details of their discussion yet.