The distress signal came in at 7:56 p.m. A 32-ton fishing vessel had capsized about 12 kilometers southwest of Pyoseon-myeon in Seogwipo, off Jeju Island, and the coast guard began a large-scale rescue.
Departure records showed 10 crew members aboard, including one Indonesian and three Vietnamese nationals. Five of them, the captain and the four foreign crew, were pulled from the water. Authorities told Yonhap the rescued men were not in life-threatening condition. Five others were unaccounted for, AP reported, and the Korea Coast Guard kept up the search.
The capsizing happened on Wednesday, February 12, and it came only days after another deadly sinking on South Korea’s southern coast.
The Yeosu sinking
On Sunday, February 9, a 139-ton trawler with 14 crew went down about 17 kilometers east of Habaek island, near Yeosu. Four people died, including the vessel’s 66-year-old captain, and five were missing at the time of Yonhap’s report. The Coast Guard found the wreck at a depth of about 80 meters, with one crewman inside.
The coast guard said that apart from three men inside the ship, all 11 other crew jumped into the sea. Rescuers first picked up eight, five of them from a life raft. The captain was among four who were later pronounced dead.
Investigators were puzzled. Waves were 2.5 meters high, which the Coast Guard called unusual for a vessel of over 100 tons to capsize in. Rescued Vietnamese crew members said the boat tilted heavily to its left side. It had not sent a distress signal, though four other fishing vessels were nearby. The trawler had left Gamcheon port in Busan the day before to fish near Heuksan island.
The search drew 24 patrol ships, four Navy vessels and 13 aircraft. During the morning search, a Coast Guard high-speed boat capsized in high waves, but all six aboard were rescued by another coast guard vessel.
Sources
- Portal:Current events/2025 February 12 – Wikipedia
- Fishing boat capsizes off Jeju; 5 among 10-person crew rescued – The Korea Times
- (4th LD) Sunken fishing trawler found on seabed with 1 crewman inside; 4 dead, 5 missing | Yonhap News Agency
Sources
- Portal:Current events/2025 February 12 – Wikipedia
- Fishing boat capsizes off Jeju; 5 among… – The Korea Times
