Navy: Missing Soldier Found Dead 22 Hours After Search, 52 km East of Geojin in the East Sea

[Financial News] The Navy said it found and recovered the body of a South Korean sailor who went missing in the East Sea during operations the previous morning. He was reported to have been found without a life jacket.
At around 5:58 a.m. on the 13th, the Navy said it discovered the body of the sailor, who went missing on the 12th, from a ship on patrol duty in the East Sea, 52 km east of Geojin, Gangwon State. It added that the body was recovered at around 6:43 a.m. using a fast rigid-hull inflatable boat (RIB) from a frigate (FFG).
The Navy said the recovered body was transferred to another frigate (FFG), and that vessel is scheduled to arrive at the Navy's East Sea base later this morning.
The sailor, who belonged to the Navy's 1st Fleet, went missing on the morning of the 12th while aboard a frigate on patrol duty in waters about 50 km east of Geojin-eup, Goseong County, Gangwon State, near the Northern Limit Line (NLL). The Navy became aware of the disappearance at around 7:45 a.m. the previous day and, together with the Korea Coast Guard (KCG), deployed more than 10 ships and several aircraft for an overnight search. The sailor was last seen by the ship's duty officer between midnight and 2 a.m. on the 12th. The military also notified the disappearance through the International Maritime Organization's common communication network, which can also be received by North Korea.
The vessel involved in the accident entered the Navy's East Sea base at around 8 a.m., and the exact circumstances of the incident and the cause of death will be jointly investigated by civilian police and military investigators.

wangjylee@fnnews.com Lee Jong-yoon Reporter