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ROK warship rescues DPRK vessel off Somalia

(China Daily/CFP)
Updated: 2009-05-05 10:48

SEOUL: A Republic of Korea (ROK) navy warship warned Somali pirates away from a freighter of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Monday by threatening to open fire, the ROK's military said.

This undated handout photo released by the ROK's military on Monday shows ROK soldiers aboard a helicopter aiming a machine gun at a pirate boat after repelling its attack on a DPRK ship in waters off Somalia. [CFP]

The ROK's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the 4,500-ton-class warship sent a Lynx helicopter to assist the DPRK vessel earlier in the day after receiving a distress call that it was being chased by the pirate ship.

Related readings:  DPRK threatens nuclear, missile tests  DPRK says it has started extracting plutonium  DPRK confirms reprocessing of spent fuel rods  S Korea rejects DPRK's border accusation  ROK envoy urges DPRK to refrain from launch

The pirate ship gave up chasing the DPRK vessel and sped away shortly after snipers aboard the helicopter prepared to fire warning shots at it, the statement said.

The ROK helicopter guided the DPRK ship to a safer area and the ship later sent a thank you message to the ROK vessel, the statement said.

The incident took place 37 km south of the Yemeni port of Aden, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Somalia and Yemen are separated by the Gulf of Aden.

The high seas drama was a rare instance of cooperation between the two Koreas.

Relations have badly frayed since a conservative government in the ROK took power last year with a vow to get tough on the DPRK over its nuclear program. Pyongyang has responded by cutting ties and halting key joint projects.

The ROK ship has been operating off Somalia since last month on a mission to protect ROK cargo ships from Somali pirates.

A number of other countries, including Japan, have dispatched naval vessels to patrol the dangerous waters and protect shipping amid a spate of pirate attacks.

Tension on the peninsula has further intensified since the DPRK launched a rocket on April 5 in defiance of international warnings.

This undated handout photo released by the ROK's military on May 5, 2009 shows a ROK soldiers aboard a helicopter aiming a machine gun at a pirate boat after repelling its attack on a DPRK ship in waters off Somalia. [CFP]

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