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ROKN SEALs Storm Hijacked Ship

By ShadowSpear 21 January, 2011 07:25:00
With a South Korean destroyer and helicopter providing covering fire, ROKN SEALs stormed the hijacked vessel in a pre-dawn rescue operation that left eight pirates dead and five captured. With a South Korean destroyer and helicopter providing covering fire, ROKN SEALs stormed the hijacked vessel in a pre-dawn rescue operation that left eight pirates dead and five captured.
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SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean Naval Special Forces on Friday stormed a ship hijacked by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea, freeing all 21 crew members and killing eight pirates, South Korea's military said.  Five pirates were also captured in the raid.

South Korean news agency "Yonhap" said President Lee Myung-bak had praised the operation in a nationally televised address. "Our military carried out the operation perfectly under difficult circumstances. I appreciate it and send a message of encouragement," Lee stated.

The raid took place about 800 miles (1,300 km) off the coast of Somalia. It was the first such rescue by South Korea since it sent warships to join multinational anti-piracy patrols in the pirate-infested area in 2009.

The rescue by South Korean Navy SEALs was made several days after the South Korean destroyer Choi Young exchanged fire with the pirates as it was pursuing the hijacked vessel, Samho Jewelry, when some of the pirates aboard disembarked to try to capture a Mongolian vessel.