South Koreans pull off daring rescue of pirated ship
Seoul citizens watch breaking news about a South Korean navy operation against Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.
January 21st, 2011
09:19 AM ET

South Koreans pull off daring rescue of pirated ship

It was code named "Dawn of Gulf of Aden" and when South Korea gave it a green light Friday, its daring execution led to five hours of chilling drama on the high seas.

A South Korean navy destroyer and Lynx helicopters fired warning shots as elite forces, in pre-dawn darkness, silently approached the deck of the freighter Samho Jewelry, hijacked by Somali pirates Saturday, according to the Yonhap news agency.

The pirates fired with their AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. The South Koreans shot back.

When it was all over, the South Koreans rescued 21 sailors, killed eight pirates and captured five others, said Lt. Gen. Lee Sung-ho, a spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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Filed under: Pirates • Somalia • South Korea
soundoff (10 Responses)
  1. Rick

    Maybe the Koreans should have sailed into the Somali pirates port and surprised them too.

    January 21, 2011 at 10:02 am | Report abuse |
    • buffoon

      Good exercise! Now, clobber the NK!

      February 15, 2011 at 4:13 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Cara

    Yay ROK!
    Yay ROK!
    Yay ROK!

    January 21, 2011 at 10:39 am | Report abuse |
  3. sosi

    this operation is one of the most successful one. it shows how nations which don't want its ships sailing near somalia should take action.

    January 21, 2011 at 11:02 am | Report abuse |
  4. PLT

    I will never understand why other world nations stand idly by while their ships and citizens are taken hostage by these Somali idiots who have discovered an easy way of making millions. Why can't some enterprising sailor pop an AK47 over the side and blow these monkeys out of the water. Then they might not be too happy about trying it again!

    Hooray South Korea ! ! ! ! !

    January 21, 2011 at 11:59 am | Report abuse |
    • Utica

      I agreed with you PLT, however, must countries only protect their interests. It should be a UN job to put these pirates down for good.

      January 21, 2011 at 12:11 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Jim Brieske

    Finally possible starting point toward stopping the Somali pirating operations. The world's nations should increase their Navy presence in the region immediately. All ships should engage in an all out Search and Destroy effort against the Somali pirates.
    jim

    January 21, 2011 at 3:46 pm | Report abuse |
  6. COL. BAT GUANO

    It was swashbuckling good time!

    January 21, 2011 at 5:51 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Cesar

    @Jim B: You know darn well, Jim, that in the open sea it's a free for all. The US Navy needs to capture these animals, burn them alive, feed them to the sharks, and take all their millions in stolen assets. There is no law out there, so no one can prosecute the U.S. for this except for France and the ACLU.

    January 21, 2011 at 5:55 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Cpt.Kim

    We're very proud of it! Good Job!

    January 22, 2011 at 10:11 am | Report abuse |
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