A 3,500-tonne destroyer carrying anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles and an anti-submarine helicopter has been made ready for the mission, the Joint Chiefs of Staff office said.

The office said the warship would escort a 13,000-tonne cargo ship carrying military equipment including 110 trucks and ammunition, which would leave Kuwait on Friday.

The defence ministry said the destroyer would carry a special military force and was more than strong enough to deal with any pirate attacks.

South Korean troops returned home last week after Seoul wound up a four-year military mission to help reconstruct war-torn Iraq.

South Korea is also considering sending a warship to combat rampant piracy off Somalia, where its own ships and crews have been targeted several times. The defence ministry will ask parliament to approve the deployment.

In September Somali pirates seized a Ukrainian freighter carrying a cargo of 33 tanks and grenade launchers.

Seoul is thinking of sending a 4,500-tonne destroyer carrying missiles and other modern weaponry early next year, according to Yonhap news agency.

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