Anchor: Five South Koreans have been kidnapped by unknown gunmen in waters off Benin in western Africa. The government has promptly set up an emergency group to work out their swift release. 
Our Bae Joo-yon has more. 

Report: The Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that five South Korean nationals were taken in waters off Benin in western Africa at around 3:40 p.m. Wednesday.

The South Koreans were aboard the 990-ton Ghanaian fishing vessel Panofi Frontier when they were kidnapped. The kidnappers also took one Ghanaian as hostage out of the total 30 crewmembers on board the fishing vessel.

The remaining crewmembers are said to be heading back to Ghana. 

The Foreign Ministry says it has yet to identify the abductors. 

Local media said that a number of gunmen attacked the Panofi Frontier from a speedboat, south of Cotonou Port. The speedboat reportedly fled east towards waters off Nigeria after the abduction.

The Foreign Ministry has set up an emergency countermeasures group in Ghana. It added that it’s working toward the swift release of the hostages through close cooperation with related agencies and local authorities. 

Local media say there have already been seven kidnappings in the Gulf of Guinea this year, up from three times last year. The area has been a target of pirates as it is the transfer route for Nigerian crude oil and gas.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.