The 24 crew including five Koreans aboard the Korean supertanker Samho Dream were released on Saturday seven months after they were kidnapped by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean in April. The pirates received a US$9.5 million ransom from Samho Shipping, the owner of the vessel. On Oct. 9, Somali pirates seized the Korean trawler Geummi 305 off the coast of Kenya and are holding the crew hostage.

There have been seven instances since 2006 of either a Korean vessel or a ship carrying Korean crew being seized by Somali pirates. The problem is getting worse. Worldwide in 2008, there were 111 cases of piracy, rising to 217 in 2009 and 289 cases in the first nine months of this year alone. Somali pirates were responsible for 44 percent of 289 maritime crimes committed this year and for 35 out of 39 ship seizures in that time. They are believed to be making $100 million a year from ransom payments, which they apparently use to buy heavy weapons and link up with international terrorist groups to raise money on the black market and pay out dividends.

In 2008, the UN Security Council passed four resolutions allowing foreign governments to take measures against pirates in Somali waters. Forty countries including Korea dispatched naval contingents to fight pirates and protect their ships, but the international network is incapable of dealing effectively with pirates who roam the high seas. It is an insult to modern civilization that brazen piracy is still taking place.

The time has come for the UN Security Council, NATO and other multilateral security groups to pursue an extensive operation to deal with pirates. The Somali interim government needs help to regain control of the lawless nation and take a leading role in stopping the pirates. The Korean government needs to play an active role in creating an international consensus about the need for tighter cooperation to deal with these marauders.