Photo : YONHAP News

Anchor: A South Korean captain and four crew members on a fishing boat near the Gulf of Guinea in western Africa were kidnapped by assailants believed to be pirates operating in the region. Seoul has set up an emergency task force to work with the affected governments to secure the crew’s release.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: The Foreign Ministry on Friday confirmed that one South Korean captain and four crew members onboard a fishing boat were kidnapped in waters off Ghana, in western Africa, at around 3:00 a.m. Friday, Korea time.

The captain and crew, three Chinese and one Russian national, were some 120 kilometers southeast of Ghana’s Tema port. Their tuna boat, the Atlantic Princess, is owned by a joint venture between Ghana and China.

There were reported to be 30 people onboard the ship when the five people were captured.

Foreign media outlets reported that the Atlantic Princess was approached by one speedboat with eight armed people onboard. Of the armed pirates, five boarded the fishing vessel, kidnapping the crew after traveling further south.

Seoul has set up an emergency response team in Ghana, vowing to win the captain and crew’s release through close coordination with the governments of Ghana and nearby Nigeria, as well as China and Russia.

Waters within the Gulf of Guinea are known to be at high risk of piracy, which prompted Seoul to advise against fishing in the area.

In 2020, there were three kidnapping cases involving South Korean nationals and it took up to 50 days to secure their release.

South Korea’s Fisheries Minister Moon Seong-hyeok, meanwhile, ordered his ministry to fully cooperate with diplomatic authorities for the crew’s release and to actively explain the situation to their families.

The ministry said it notified South Korean-flagged vessels operating in the area about the incident and reinforced monitoring of ships in other regions at high risk of piracy.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.