Six People Including One Korean Captain Abducted Near Gabon Waters... Ministry of Foreign Affairs "All-Out Effort for Swift Resolution"

Kidnapped by Pirates Suspected on the Morning of the 3rd Local Time

The Gang Gam-chan-class destroyer (DDH-II, 4,400 tons) accurately struck aerial targets by firing one RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) at a time. It hit and shot down a simulated enemy aircraft approaching the ship. (Photo by the Navy)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Six people, including a Korean captain, were kidnapped by a group presumed to be pirates off the coast of Gabon in West Africa.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 6th, at around 4:40 a.m. local time on the 3rd, a shrimp fishing vessel and its crew operating near Libreville, the capital of Gabon, were kidnapped. Among the kidnapped crew members was one Korean captain. Foreign media such as AFP, citing a source close to the Gabonese authorities, reported that "the pirates abducted three Indonesians, two Senegalese, and one Korean."

In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We are making every effort to swiftly resolve the situation."

Since becoming aware of the kidnapping, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has activated the Overseas Citizens Protection Countermeasures Headquarters and requested cooperation from neighboring countries. It is also known that they have contacted the families of the kidnapped crew members. The Korean Embassy in Gabon has also requested the host country for a prompt rescue, but there has been no significant progress so far.

It is reported that pirate attacks in the Gabonese waters have occurred more than twice in the past six months. In December last year, vessels near Libreville were attacked, resulting in the detention of four Chinese crew members and the killing of a Gabonese captain.

In East Africa, in November last year, two vessels carrying 16 crew members, including two Koreans, were seized by Houthi rebels but were released after two days. At that time, the Korean government dispatched the ROK Navy's Gang Gam-chan ship, which was stationed in Oman.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.