Three Vietnamese sailors were among the 21 seized aboard two Korean fishing vessels off the coast of Somalia on Wednesday, according to news released by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.The Viet Nam Embassy in South Korea is currently trying to identify the sailors, but no further details were provided. The ministry said four Koreans, 10 Chinese, four Indonesians and three Indians were among the crew. The pirates have sailed the ships to a village on the coast of Somalia and all the crew members are safe, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre.
South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-Soon sent an appeal to his Somali and Kenyan counterparts yesterday to ask for help in securing the release of crewmen, said ministry spokeswoman Han Hye-Jin. Unidentified gunmen hijacked the Tanzania-registered ships about 200 nautical miles off the coast of Mogadishu, Somalia. But, the boats had left Mombassa in Kenya on May 11 for Yemen.