Pirates vow revenge on Korea ships

Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin said yesterday that the military had obtained intelligence that the pirates will attack more Korean ships in retaliation for the rescue last Friday.

“Ships passing the Gulf of Aden must take extra precautions,” Kim said when briefing lawmakers about the rescue at the National Assembly, “I believe companies will beef up security measures and that’s the first step to prevent further attacks.”

According to Reuters, Somali pirates threatened on Sunday to kill any Korean seamen they take hostage in the future in revenge for the killing of eight pirates by South Korean troops, who stormed a hijacked vessel.

“We never planned to kill but now we shall seek revenge,” a pirate who identified himself as Mohamed told Reuters by phone. “We shall never take a ransom from Korean ships, we shall burn them and kill their crew. Korea has put itself in trouble by killing my colleagues,” he said from the pirate haven of Garad, according to Reuters.

The minister also said the five captured pirates will be sent to Korea for punishment if the neighboring countries refuse to take them. “They will face a trial here,” Kim told reporters yesterday.

By Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr]