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Today, on the 25th, five Korean sailors were kidnapped by unknown militants off the coast of Benin, West Africa. The safety of the crew has not been confirmed at present, but the government has set up a countermeasures center for the protection of foreign residents and has responded.

Reporter Hye-young Kim on the sidewalk.

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time of our day, the "Panofi Frontier," a fishing vessel in Ghana, with five Korean sailors off the coast of Benin, West Africa, was attacked by armed forces.

According to a British maritime safety information company and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which collects and delivers maritime accident information, several gangsters with guns off the coast of Cotonou, Benin attacked the fishing boat'Panofi Frontier' on a motorboat.

There were 30 sailors aboard this boat, but armed forces fled to the east of the Nigerian waters, kidnapping only six South Korean sailors and one Ghanaian sailor.

Benin, Africa, where the accident occurred, is adjacent to Guinea Bay. Guinea Bay is a place where there are many international ships passing through the routes to Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, and there are constant incidents related to pirates.

On the 3rd of last month, a Korean man was abducted for 30 days near Gabon Libriville, and was released on the 8th.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded today by establishing an emergency response group for the local government's protection countermeasures and a local mission, and identifying the details of the incident, including the safety of Korean sailors.