No South Korean ships were attacked by pirates in the first six months of the year, while piracy on the whole dropped from a year earlier, the government said Friday.

"There have been no reports of a pirate attack on a South Korean ship in the first half," said the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

The number of incidents of piracy came to 98 in the January-June period, down 26.9 percent from a year earlier, while that of ships hijacked by pirates more than halved to five from 13 over the cited period.

In waters off West Africa, however, the number of pirate attacks rose nearly 50 percent on-year to 31 from 21, with two cases occurring near Somali waters over the six month period, up from zero last year.

The ministry advised all South Korean-flagged vessels to remain cautious when they sail the African seas. (Yonhap)