Somali pirates holding S. Korean hostages demand release of captured pirates

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- Somali pirates holding four South Koreans in a hijacked chemical tanker are demanding that Seoul pay ransom for the hostages and release five pirates captured during a January raid of a seized Korean freighter, an official said Friday.
The four South Koreans are among 25 crew members of the Singapore-registered 21,000-ton MT Gemini that was hijacked on April 30 in waters off Kenya. The seizure came about three months after South Korean naval commandos raided a Korean-owned freighter on Jan. 21 and rescued all 21 crew members.
Eight pirates were killed and five others were captured alive during the raid. The five survivors were then brought to South Korea for trial. In May, they received sentences ranging from 13 years in prison to life imprisonment. All of them have appealed the verdicts.
Captors of the MT Gemini have been demanding that South Korea pay ransom for the four Korean hostages, compensation for the deaths of eight Somali pirates killed during the January operation and release the five pirates being tried in South Korea, a government official said.
"It is out of question to hold negotiations with pirates, and we cannot release the pirates being tried," the official said on the customary condition of anonymity. "We have to deal sternly with this case in cooperation with the international community."
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