(* = assist from the US Navy)
DPRK sailors (or DPRK flagged ships) have come under attack from Somali pirates three times since October 2007.
In the first attack, the DPRK ship overcame the pirates with the assistance of the US Navy. More here.
In November 2009, a North Korean crew was taken hostage by Somali pirates. I still don’t know what happened to them, but I hope they were released safely. More here.
This week Josh points out an AP story about a third attackon a Yemeni-owned, DPRK-flagged vessel:
The U.S. Navy says it overtook a suspected Somali pirate skiff that tried to attack a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden.
A Navy statement issued Sunday says a security team aboard the merchant vessel Napht Al Yemen 1 repelled the Jan. 20 pirate attack without U.S. help.
The USS Porter stopped and boarded the pirate skiff later that day.
The commercial ship is Yemeni owned but sails under a North Korean flag.
The incident marked a rare example of the U.S. military aiding North Korea, a reclusive rogue nation.
Piracy is among the fastest ways to make money in Somalia, a nation plagued by war and no functioning government.
Somali pirates seized 47 vessels last year. They currently hold about 200 crew members hostage.
