New S. Korean anti-piracy unit starts operations in Somali waters

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- A fresh contingent of 300 South Korean troops has
begun operating off the Somali coast, replacing an anti-piracy unit that had been
deployed there since April, officials said Monday.

The Dae Jo Yeong destroyer took over on Saturday from the 4,500-ton Munmu the
Great, which has escorted a total of 300 boats and is due to return to South
Korea by mid-October, Joint Chiefs of Staff officials here said.
The 300-crew Munmu the Great, the first South Korean warship sent to operate
under the U.S.-led anti-piracy drive, rescued seven commercial vessels, including
a North Korean one, during its deployment.
Approximately 500 South Korean ships ply the Gulf of Aden each year. About 150 of
them are vulnerable to pirate attacks because of their low speed, according to
the defense ministry.
Somalia has not had a functional government since its dictator was overthrown by
warlords in 1991. Poverty has driven a large number of locals to piracy, and
black market sales of weapons run rampant.
The Dae Jo Yeong, which also weighs 4,500 tons, was commissioned in 2003 and can
travel at a maximum speed of 29 knots.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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