Sana'a, Yemen  - The Yemeni coastguard thwarted a pirate attack on a South Korean cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, killing one pirate on Monday, Yemen's Interior Ministry reported.

A coastguard unit in the southern Yemeni port of Aden answered a distress call from the Korean ship that came under attack about 40 miles off Aden, the ministry said in a statement.

Pirates were closing in on the ship pointing rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers in an attempt to force it to stop as a dispatched coastguard gunboat reached the site, the ministry said.

"Coast guards exchanged fire with the Somali pirates and fatally shot one of them," it said, adding that the pirates fled the area and the ship was able to continue its journey.

Further details of the ship's identity and its destination were not immediately available.

This was the first successful rescue by the Yemeni coastguard force in the Gulf of Aden, which lies between Yemen and Somalia, and connects the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean.

Piracy off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden has surged in recent months as Somalia descends further into chaos and unrest.

The waterway, which is one of the world's most important sea lanes and an important thoroughfare for goods heading from Asia to Europe, has seen an unprecedented rise in piracy in 2008, with 42 ships hijacked and 69 piracy attempts thwarted.

Vessels seized included a Saudi oil tanker and a Ukrainian ship transporting tanks. Both ships were released after ransoms were paid.

Foreign navies have recently sent over a dozen warships to the area in an attempt to stop piracy in the region, which has driven up shipping costs and forced some ships to re-route around the southern tip of Africa rather than passing through the Suez Canal.

Last month, a regional conference on piracy was held in Sana'a, calling for a step-up of efforts to combat the growing threat of piracy in the Gulf of Aden. dpa