[2025 Audit] Coast Guard Criticized for Inadequate Response and Work Practices in Line-of-Duty Death Case

Both the ruling and opposition parties strongly criticized the inadequate response of the Korea Coast Guard and the work practices at the local police station in connection with the death in the line of duty of the late Sergeant Lee Jaeseok, who died while rescuing an elderly person stranded in a tidal flat.

On October 22, Lee Manhee, a member of the People Power Party, pointed out during the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee's audit of the Korea Coast Guard, "There were fundamental problems in the Coast Guard's on-site work system and response methods regarding Sergeant Lee's case."

Assemblyman Lee stated, "There are 28 personnel at the Yeongheung Police Substation, including the chief, but even considering it was nighttime at the time of the accident, it is incomprehensible that only two people were on duty."

Cho Kyungtae, also from the same party, emphasized, "In addition to the team leader and Sergeant Lee, there was also a standby officer on duty at the substation," and added, "The standby officer who was resting at the time should also be strictly disciplined."

Previously, four team members who were on duty with Sergeant Lee at the time of the incident held a press conference on September 15 and claimed, "We were instructed by former team leader A at the Yeongheung Police Substation to take a six-hour break and rested until 3 a.m. on the day of the accident."

The National Assembly's Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee's audit of the Korea Coast Guard and others is being held on the 22nd at the Korea Coast Guard in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon. Korea Coast Guard

Lim Hoseon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized, "Yeongheung Police Substation, which serves as a rescue base, should have had a diving rescue officer on standby at the time of the accident, but there was no such response," adding, "This reflects the current reality of the Coast Guard."

He continued, "If the Coast Guard is relying on a private drone company operated by Incheon City at a cost of 120 million won for dispatches, shouldn't the Coast Guard be dismantled?" He further questioned, "Since there is a risk of people getting trapped in the tidal flats, drones should be operated at the designated rescue base substations, so where are the Coast Guard's drones?"

Kim Yongjin, Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard, stated, "I feel a great sense of responsibility regarding this incident," and added, "Once the prosecution's investigation is complete, we will take appropriate disciplinary action against the four colleagues through an internal audit."

Meanwhile, Lee Gwangjin, former chief of the Incheon Coast Guard, who appeared as a witness on this day, stated that there was no attempt to downplay or conceal the incident related to Sergeant Lee's death in the line of duty.

Former chief Lee admitted, "There were mistakes in not properly following regulations on site, such as the two-person dispatch rule," but insisted, "I never instructed the staff at Yeongheung Police Substation to cover up the incident, either directly or through subordinates." He explained, "There is a media response manual, so I only advised them to refrain from saying anything that could be distorted," and added, "The truth will be revealed through the investigation."

The four colleagues who worked with Sergeant Lee at Yeongheung Police Substation held a press conference at the funeral hall on September 15 and revealed that there was an order from higher-ups to "remain silent about the incident because Sergeant Lee should be made a hero."

They claimed that they were instructed by the substation chief to "shed tears in front of the bereaved family and remain silent," and that immediately after the accident, a gag order was issued under the direction of the Incheon Coast Guard chief.

On September 11, Sergeant Lee received a report from a drone patrol company that "a person is sitting in the tidal flat," responded to the scene alone, and went missing. He was later found dead.

On the 22nd, at the Incheon Yeonsu-gu Coast Guard Headquarters, Kim Yongjin, the Commissioner of the Coast Guard, is responding to questions from committee members during the National Assembly Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee's audit of the Coast Guard and related agencies. Coast Guard Headquarters