2 Korean sailors kidnapped by Yemeni rebels

By Jhoo Dong-chan

Houthi rebels from Yemen have hijacked two ocean-going tugs hauling a South Korean drilling rig according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Monday. Sixteen people including two South Koreans were on the three vessels that were seized in the Red Sea, the ministry said.

In a briefing to reporters at the ministry's headquarters in downtown Seoul, an official said one hijacked tug and the drilling rig were owned by South Korean port constructor Woongjin Development, while the second tug was from Saudi Arabia and had been chartered by a United Arab Emirates firm.

"Houthi rebels seized the three vessels at around 3:50 a.m. Monday (KST) in waters about 23 kilometers west of Kamaran Island off Yemen," the official told reporters. "We understand they have been taken to the Houthi-controlled seaport of Salif, north of Hodeidah in Yemen. The two Koreans are in good shape at the moment, and the government is doing its utmost to bring them back home safely."

The head of the rebel's supreme revolutionary committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, confirmed the vessels had been seized in what he described a "suspicious case" off the Yemeni coast.

"The Yemeni Coast Guard is doing its job to determine whether it … belongs to the aggressors or to South Korea. If it is for South Korea, they will be released after legal procedures … we assure everyone not to worry about the crew," he tweeted.

The foreign ministry official said South Korea had called for close cooperation from the United States and Saudi Arabia for joint rescue efforts and added the country's anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit operating off the coast of Somalia had immediately been dispatched to the location of the hijacking.

"We requested close cooperation in our rescue efforts from the Unites States, Saudi Arabia and other stakeholders," the official said.

The Cheonghae Unit is comprised of the 4,400-ton destroyer Kang Gam Chan, its helicopter and Special Forces troops carried onboard. It is expected to arrive at the location by Thursday (KST) at the earliest .

The unit operates in the Gulf of Aden, the entrance to the Red Sea, as part of international efforts to fight piracy and terrorism, and ensure international maritime safety. It escorts ships, assisting them in safe navigation in the region, and protects South Korean citizens in the case of emergencies.

Since the Yemeni Civil War began in 2014 over political and economic grievances, Houthi rebel forces have conducted a series of attacks against Saudi merchant and naval ships with mines, missiles and remote-controlled vessels.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in the conflict on the side of the government in 2015, following the Houthi's ousting of pro-Saudi President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi at the start of the war, by launching an aerial offensive against the rebels who had taken control of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

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