The crew of a North Korean vessel fended off a hijack attempt by pirates off the Somali coast with the support of a U.S. destroyer and a fighter helicopter. U.S. medics boarded the North Korean-flagged Dai Hong Dan and brought three North Korean sailors wounded in a gunfight with the hijackers to their destroyer for medical treatment, according a U.S. Navy announcement. Whether the accidental joint operation will help North Korea and the U.S. build mutual trust at a critical time in their relations remains to be seen.
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In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, a Navy team climbs aboard a North Korean-flagged vessel to help crewmembers wounded in a battle with pirates off the coast of Somalia on Tuesday. With permission from the North Koreans, the U.S. Navy boarded the ship with a small team of medics, security personnel and an interpreter. /AP
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The U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain received an SOS from the Malaysia-based International Maritime Bureau seeking help for the North Korean vessel at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
The Dai Hong Dan radioed for help to the IMB, which delivered the rescue request to the U.S. fleet. The destroyer USS James E. Williams was ordered to help since it was 90 km from the troubled North Korean ship.
Lt. John Gay, deputy spokesman for the U.S. 5th Fleet told the Chosun Ilbo over the phone, ¡°It's our duty to help all vessels in distress.¡± The U.S. warship dispatched a fighter helicopter to the scene.
According to the IMB, the Dai Hong Dan was carrying a crew of 43 sailors and anchoring in waters about 108 km off the coast of the Somali capital Mogadishu after unloading sugar there. AFP reported that the Somalis charged with guarding the vessel turned out to be pirates. The U.S. rescue helicopter arrived the scene at 8:30 a.m., told the hijacked ship that a U.S. destroyer was approaching and urged the seven pirates aboard the ship to surrender.
However, North Korean sailors overwhelmed the hijackers after a fierce gunfight at around 10 a.m. Two pirates were killed and the rest detained. As the U.S. destroyer arrived, the North Korean crew asked for medical treatment of their three wounded colleagues. A Korean-American sailor on the destroyer served as a translator between the two sides, and three U.S. medics boarded the North Korean ship. The three wounded sailors were moved to the James E. Williams and received medical treatment, returning to their ship after two hours. None were in critical condition. The rescue operation ended at 8 p.m.
Ironically, a State Department official said the rescue was part of the Proliferation Security Initiative mission -- a grouping of nations aimed at stopping North Korea from proliferating weapons of mass destruction. South Korea has declined to join the initiative for fear of angering the North.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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