The dispatch of a destroyer, which must be approved by parliament next month, would mark the first-ever overseas combat deployment by the country's navy.

The mission would continue for the rest of this year.

The United States, several European nations, Russia, India and China have already sent naval ships to the lawless Somali coast to safeguard major shipping lanes.

The South Korean contingent could operate both independently and in conjunction with other international naval forces, said officials quoted by Yonhap news agency.

South Korean ships or sailors have frequently been targeted in the region. Five South Koreans were among the crew of a Japanese ship seized last November.

In September Somali pirates seized a South Korean cargo ship and 22 sailors, releasing them the following month after the ship's owner paid a ransom.

In 2007 Somali pirates seized two South Korean vessels and 24 crew including four South Koreans. The crew were released after six months and a ransom payment.

In April 2006 a South Korean tuna ship with 25 crew on board was hijacked but freed after four months following a payment.

The International Maritime Bureau says piracy on the high seas rose to unprecedented levels in 2008.

It said attacks off the east coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden had risen by nearly 200 percent to 111 in 2008, with pirates succeeding in hijacking 42 vessels and taking 815 crew hostage.

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