Korea is closely cooperating with Ghana, Nigeria and other countries to ensure the safety of three nationals kidnapped by unidentified pirates in Africa last week, a foreign ministry official said Monday.

On Saturday, the foreign ministry said that the three Korean sailors on a 500-ton fishing boat were presumed to have been kidnapped in seas off Ghana on March 26.

No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. China's Xinhua News Agency earlier reported they are apparently being captive in the southern part of Nigeria.

 
"Top priority is placed on ensuring the safety of our people, and diverse diplomatic efforts are under way with Ghana, Nigeria and other neighboring countries, as well as the US, Germany and the European Union," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"All options remain on the table and we are making all-out efforts, thinking that (the Xinhua report) could be true," he noted.

Korea's military earlier dispatched a destroyer on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden to help rescue them. The official said that the dispatch of the destroyer is aimed in part at putting pressure on those behind the kidnapping.

The government, he said, believes that the kidnappers appear to be seeking a ransom, given past similar incidents in the region, adding that the likelihood of the involvement of regional militant groups is low.(Yonhap)