The South Korean military has prevented a DPRK freighter from being attacked. This after South Korean army snipers in a helicopter chased away pirates.

In this photo taken on Monday, May 4, 2009 and released by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korean snipers on a helicopter aim at a pirate ship about 37 kilometers (23 miles) south of Aden port in Yemen. [HO/CCTV/AP Photo]

The incident took place 37 kilometres south of the Yemeni port of Aden on Monday.

A South Korean warship has been operating off Somalia since last month. The warship is on a mission to protect South Korean cargo ships from Somali pirates.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the warship sent a helicopter to assist the DPRK vessel, shortly after receiving a distress call that it was being chased by a pirate ship.

The pirate vessel gave up chasing the DPRK vessel and sped away after snipers aboard the helicopter prepared to fire warning shots.

The South Korean helicopter guided the DPRK ship to a safer area and the ship later sent a thank you message to the South Korean vessel several times.