The injured captain of the rescued South Korean freighter "Samho Jewelry" arrived in Seoul on Saturday night.

The South Korean government said a special ambulance jet left Oman on Saturday morning, Korean time, transporting Captain Seok Hae-kyun, about a week after he survived being shot by Somali pirates during a military operation to free the vessel.

South Korea rented an ambulance jet and sent a medical team to Salalah to bring home the captain who still remains unconscious.

The departure was delayed by about two hours as more time was needed to make sure the plane was properly equipped for the operation.

The jet refueled in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and arrived at Seoul Airport at about 10:30 pm after an eleven-hour flight. He was taken to the Ajou University hospital in Suwon for treatment.

A diplomat from the South Korean Foreign Ministry said that although Seok remains in critical condition, the medical team deemed him fit for transport back to South Korea.

Meanwhile, Seok’s family, who arrived in Oman on Wednesday, will return to South Korea on a separate, civilian plane.

Seok was injured during the South Korean military’s operation to free the Samho Jewelry on January 21st in the Arabian Sea after the ship was seized by pirates on January 15th. The ship was saved, as were the 21 crew members who were being held hostage.