Dai Hong Dan incident

On the evening of 29 October 2007, seven Somali pirates hijacked the North Korean cargo ship MV Dai Hong Dan (Korean: 대홍단호) in the Indian Ocean, approximately 110 kilometres (70 miles; 60 nautical miles) northeast of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The Dai Hong Dan, with a crew of 22 sailors, had departed Mogadishu earlier that day after unloading a shipment of sugar with the help of locals, including the pirates. The pirates gained permission to board the ship under the pretense of being Somali security personnel. They subsequently confined the crew to the steering and engine rooms at gunpoint and demanded a ransom of US$15,000 for their release.

The following day, a US naval vessel, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS James E. Williams, responded to a distress signal sent out by the Dai Hong Dan. The US Navy ordered the pirates to surrender via radio, which, according to the US Navy, prompted the crew of the Dai Hong Dan to rebel against their captors and regain control of their ship. A gunfight between the North Korean crew members and the Somali pirates left at least one pirate dead and three pirates wounded. US Navy medical personnel treated three wounded North Koreans, although the North Korean government later stated six of its sailors had been wounded in the incident.

North Korea's official account of events differed slightly from the US Navy's. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the sailors had fought back from the start, but the pirates only surrendered upon the arrival of US forces. Following the incident, North Korea published a rare statement of gratitude to the US, thanking the US for its assistance and highlighting the two countries' successful collaboration.