Houthi rebels in Yemen have seized three boats carrying two South Korean nationals and 14 others in the Red Sea.
According to Seoul's foreign ministry on Tuesday,... the seizure took place in waters west of Yemen's Kamaran Island at around 3:50 AM, Korea time on Monday.
The ministry confirmed that the crewmen are in safe conditions.
Two of the three boats seized were South Korean, while the other was Saudi Arabian.
Houthi rebels claim the boats, which were traveling from Saudi Arabia to Somalia, violated their territorial waters.
A senior Houthi official told Reuters that if the seized ships are confirmed to belong to South Korea... they will be released after completing legal procedures.
Seoul has deployed its anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit, which operates off the coast of Somalia, to support the rescue efforts,... and has asked for cooperation from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.