Recent Developments in Piracy Attacks and Counter-Efforts of the International Community

해적행위의 최근 발생 동향과 국제사회의 대응

The purpose of this article is to explore recent developments in piracy attacks at the global level. This article provides an overview of global trend of recent piracy attacks and presents global counter-piracy efforts at the international and governmental as well as industry level. The issue of piracy has been a grave concern of the globe, becoming the biggest threat to the safety and security navigation and seaborne trade. Overall, piracy attacks in recent years have greatly diminished owing to multi-faceted counter-piracy efforts. However, Southeast Asia and West Africa have reemerged as an hotspot of piracy. A worrisome trend in these regions is that many of piracy attacks are committed by militant groups for financing their activities. As a result, the level of violence and the sophistication of attacks have escalated. The problem of contemporary piracy is beyond a particular region or coastal state, but a common concern of the international community. In order to address the global piracy problem, international cooperation should be further strengthened at the global level as well as the regional level. As a way of counter-piracy measures in Southeast Asian waters, the creation of a joint regional coast guard to patrol the highly piracy concentration areas needs to be considered.