The South Korean captain of a boat recently released by Somali pirates described his four-month captivity as "hell," saying he always feared for his life under the captors' death threats.
The 54-year-old captain, Kim Dae-geun, was one of 43 crew members freed Wednesday, four months after Somali pirates hijacked their South Korean fishing vessel in Kenyan waters. The crew, comprising two Koreans, two Chinese and 39 Kenyans, were all confirmed safe.
The 241-ton trawler Keummi 305 is currently heading toward a Kenyan port under the escort of a Finnish warship and is expected to dock next Monday.
"What made me most anxious was the fear that I could die at any time," Kim told Yonhap News Agency over a satellite phone. "(The pirates) constantly threatened us with loaded guns, so I would have died if they went off by accident."
The captain said the pirates took away everything from the crew, including shoes, underwear and even toilet paper, leaving them each with only one undershirt and two pairs of underpants. He said he was also forced to steer the boat in the pirates' attempt to hijack other vessels.
"Using the Keummi, the pirates made four hijacking attempts and succeeded twice, capturing an LPG freighter and an oil tanker," he said. "Steering the boat to capture other innocent vessels was really more painful than death because I myself was experiencing hell under the pirates, but I had no choice because they threatened to kill me instantly if I didn't do what I was told."
The reasons for the release are still unclear, although sources have said that the pirates may have seen little chance of winning a ransom and had difficulty feeding their hostages. South Korean officials have said that no ransom was paid.
Kim said he suspected the pirates were eventually convinced by his insistence that the Keummi's owner would not be able to pay a ransom due to its own financial difficulties.
"As the period of captivity grew longer, I even thought I would rather die," he said. "When I was released, both my mind and body were so exhausted that I couldn't even feel happy. I didn't even want to look in the direction that the pirates were leaving. Pirates are so evil, they are not even humans."
The release came nearly three weeks after a South Korean freighter and its 21 crew members were rescued from other Somali pirates in a daring commando raid by the South Korean Navy.
Kim expressed his disappointment with the South Korean government, which stood by its principle of not negotiating with pirates throughout the Keummi's captivity.
"I completed my military duty in my youth and am now earning foreign money abroad," he said. "I have felt pride as a South Korean citizen, but the government did not make much effort to free us, as if it has no interest in the safety of its people."
While being held hostage, the captain said he suffered due to his diabetic conditions, while another crew member fell ill from malaria. They also developed skin diseases but are now recovering after receiving medication from the Finnish warship, he said.
Recalling the hijacking on Oct. 9, Kim said the crew was fishing as usual when they noticed that a boat with pirates was approaching them at a fast speed.
"We collected our fishing gear and tried to escape, but were captured by the pirates in five minutes," he said.
"The windows of the steering room were shattered when the pirates threatened us with gunshots, and some of the barefoot crew members started to bleed after stepping on the glass. This was just the beginning."