Philippine military says S. Korean ship hijacked

Armed men believed to be members of the Abu Sayyaf group have hijacked a South Korean vessel off the island of Tawi-Tawi in the southern Philippines seizing its two crew members, a spokesman for the Philippine military said on Friday.

Army Maj. Filemon Tan of the Western Mindanao Command, said in a statement that the South Korean vessel was hijacked on Thursday by 10 armed men aboard a speedboat of Bongao, in Tawi-Tawi.

He said the captain of the ship MV Dong Bang Giant, a certain Park Chul Hong, and a Filipino crew member Glenn Alindajao were kidnapped by the attackers.

"Reports disclosed that that perpetrators are alleged followers of Abu Sayyaf group under Jul Hassan based in Sulu," the statement read.

Tan said that all military units have been alerted to look for the missing crew members.

"As of press time, validation and intelligence monitoring are currently being conducted by the military in coordination with local chief executives and the locals to track down the perpetrators and safety rescue the victims," Tan said. Enditem

（APD）