Jan. 15: Chemical freighter Samho Jewelry carrying 21 crewmembers including eight Koreans was captured by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea between Oman and India.

Jan. 16: South Korea's Cheonghae Unit dispatched 4,500-ton destroyer Choi Young to the scene.

Jan. 18: South Korean troops fire at the Somali pirates as they attempt to hijack a Mongolian vessel. The shootout left three South Korean soldiers injured and at least six Somalis dead.

Jan. 21: South Korean troops began a rescue operation in the morning and saved all of the 21 crewmembers of the Samho Jewelry.