Text Fwd: (Lead)S. Korea naval unit conducts anti-piracy drill ahead of Somali deployment

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Yonhap News
2009/07/03 14:17 KST (LEAD)
S. Korea naval unit conducts anti-piracy drill ahead of Somali deployment
By Sam Kim

SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- The next batch of 300 South Korean troops to be deployed to Somali waters conducted an anti-piracy drill Friday, using a mock pirate boat off the southern coast of South Korea, the Navy said.

"The troops practiced chasing pirate ships away and rescuing hostages from them, using a mock high-speed pirate craft," Lt. Cdr. Oh Se-seong said by phone.

The unit, which will depart for the Gulf of Aden on July 16, also practiced maneuvering a helicopter out of danger in case pirates obtained and fired portable surface-to-air missiles, Oh said.

A South Korean destroyer, Munmu the Great, has been operating with a 300-strong crew as part of a U.S.-led anti-piracy campaign in the gulf, mainly convoying South Korean commercial vessels.

Its replacement, the Dae Jo Yeong destroyer, is expected to join the Combined Task Force in the region on Aug. 22, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

The destroyer will carry a Linx anti-submarine helicopter and a UDT/SEAL special operation team of about 30, the Navy said in its release.

The drill took place at a naval port in the city of Jinhae, 410 kilometers south of Seoul, it said.

The Cheonghae unit, named after an ancient Korean naval base, has escorted about 30 South Korean ships and conducted six rescue operations since its deployment in April, the ministry said.

The 4,500-ton Dae Jo Yeong belongs to the same class as the Munmu the Great. It was commissioned in 2003 and can travel at a maximum speed of 29 knots.
South Korean officials believe Somali pirates have yet to acquire Stinger missiles which could be fired from boats at aircraft.

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 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.

samkim@yna.co.kr
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