SEOUL (REUTERS) - South Korea has deployed a naval vessel from its regional anti-piracy fleet to help in the search after a fishing boat was hijacked by pirates off Ghana, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday (March 31).

The ministry said the fishing boat had about 40 crew - mostly from Ghana but including three South Koreans. It said the pirates used a speedboat to take away the South Koreans.

South Korean President Moon Jae In sent South Korea's anti-piracy Cheonghae unit to the area to try to secure the South Koreans' release, the ministry said.

The South Korean government has been working to tackle piracy with a number of African countries, as well as the United States and the European Union.