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The ''Dai Hong Dan'' incident took place on 29October 2007, when the
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
n cargo vessel MV ''Dai Hong Dan'' () was attacked and temporarily seized by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean off
Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
. The following day, the crew of the vessel overpowered the pirates with the support of a US
naval A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operatio ...
vessel.


Seizure

The incident took place about northeast of the Somali capital,
Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...
. A group of Somali pirates boarded and captured the North Korean cargo ship ''Dai Hong Dan'', originally launched at
Chongjin Chŏngjin (; ) is the capital of North Korea's North Hamgyong Province (함경북도) and the country's List of cities in North Korea, third-largest city. Sometimes called the City of Iron, it is located in the northeast of the country. History ...
in 1978. According to North Korean sources, the ship had unloaded its cargo in the Somali capital when seven armed pirates (disguised as guards) boarded the ship, detaining the 22 sailors of the crew in the steering room and an engine room. They then forced the ship to sea and demanded a ransom of US$15,000.


Revolt

The following day, responding to the vessel's distress signal, the
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
guided missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers which have a pr ...
approached the ship, and deployed an SH-60B helicopter and a VBSS (
Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure Visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) is the term used by United States military and law enforcement agencies for Naval boarding, maritime boarding actions and tactics. VBSS teams are designed to capture enemy vessels, combat Counter-terrorism ...
) team to secure the scene. Meanwhile, the North Korean sailors attacked their captors, seizing some weapons. The crew stormed the
bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
and the engineering spaces, leaving one pirate dead in the action. A prolonged gunfight between the sailors and the pirates resulted in the pirates' defeat. Two pirates were killed in the engagement, and the other five were captured (three of whom were wounded). Of the six Korean sailors wounded, three required medical treatment, which was provided by American medical personnel.


Aftermath

The North Korean press ( KCNA) released an unprecedented positive statement, expressing gratitude to the United States for their help, and emphasizing the successful US–North Korean collaboration during the incident.


See also

* Maersk Alabama hijacking * * List of North Korean merchant ships


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dai Hong Dan incident 2007 in North Korea Conflicts in 2007 October 2007 in Somalia Military history of North Korea Naval battles involving North Korea North Korea–United States relations Piracy in Somalia 2007 crimes in Somalia Anti-piracy battles involving the United States October 2007 in Asia