Four Korean Crew Members Abducted by Pirates off West Africa... Ministry of Foreign Affairs "Investigating"

Major Pirate Activity Areas

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Another incident of Korean crew members being kidnapped by pirates occurred off the coast of West Africa.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 1st, around 7:30 PM local time on the 31st of last month, a tuna fishing vessel carrying 36 people, including Korean crew members, was attacked by pirates near the waters off Benin, West Africa.

The pirates kidnapped 4 Korean crew members and 1 foreign crew member from those on board and fled.

Previously, on the 19th of last month, the tuna fishing vessel Atlantic Princess was attacked by pirates in the waters east of Accra, the capital of Ghana in West Africa, resulting in the kidnapping of 5 people including 1 Korean captain, 3 Chinese, and 2 Russians.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We are closely monitoring and sharing relevant developments with local diplomatic missions and related authorities, and will take necessary measures."

According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, among the worldwide incidents of crew kidnappings by pirates last year, those occurring in West African waters accounted for 96.3% (130 out of 135) of the total.

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