Jeju Offshore Fishing Boat Sinks... 14 Rescued, 13 Missing

Complete Sinking of Hull, On-site Search Operation

A fishing boat carrying 27 people sank off the coast of Jeju, resulting in 13 people missing, and search operations are underway.

Location of fishing boat sinking northwest of Biyangdo. Photo by Yonhap News

At around 4:33 a.m. on the 8th, the Coast Guard received a report that the 129-ton purse seiner Geumseongho, registered in Busan, was sinking about 24 km northwest of Biyangdo, Jeju.

According to the Coast Guard, the crew on board Geumseongho consisted of 27 people, including 16 Koreans and 11 foreigners according to the entry-exit management system. Currently, 14 people have been rescued by nearby vessels and brought to Hallim Port in Jeju.

Among them, 2 are unconscious, and 12 are conscious; all have been transported to nearby hospitals. The remaining 13 are missing.

The Geumseongho hull has completely sunk, and the Coast Guard is conducting searches at the site to find the missing persons. Currently, 10 Coast Guard vessels and 4 aircraft, 3 Navy vessels and 1 aircraft, 1 fisheries guidance ship, and 8 civilian fishing boats have been deployed.

In the accident area, a northeast wind is blowing at 4 to 6 meters per second, and waves are about 1 meter high.