Fishing Boat Capsizes 65 km Off Jeju’s Chagwido Island; 9 Rescued, 2 Missing

【Financial News | Jeju—Jung Yong-bok】 A 29-ton coastal longline fishing boat carrying 11 people capsized about 65 km northwest of Chagwido Island off Jeju City. Nine foreign crew members were rescued, while the Korean captain and an Indonesian crew member remain missing. Amid strong northwesterly winds of 12 to 14 meters per second and waves of around 2 meters, the Korea Coast Guard, Navy, a national fisheries guidance vessel and private fishing boats have been deployed in the search.
According to the Jeju Regional Headquarters, Korea Coast Guard, and other authorities, a report was received at around 3:04 a.m. on the 5th that 7 Seongjin, a 29-ton coastal longline fishing boat registered in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, had capsized about 65 km northwest of Chagwido Island off Jeju City's Hangyeong-myeon.
The vessel was carrying 11 people: one Korean captain, nine Indonesian nationals and one Vietnamese national.
Fishing boats operating nearby responded immediately and rescued nine foreign crew members—eight Indonesians and one Vietnamese. The rescued crew members complained of hypothermia, but no serious health problems have been identified so far.
The Korean captain and one Indonesian crew member remain unaccounted for.

A KCG helicopter arrived at the scene at 4:28 a.m. and lowered an aviation rescue specialist onto the capsized vessel. The specialist checked the hull for any response from the missing crew members, but detected no signal. The national fisheries guidance vessel joined the search at around 5 a.m.
The KCG deployed nine patrol vessels, two helicopters and one aircraft. One Navy vessel, one vessel from a related agency and three private fishing boats are also searching the accident area and the waters around the capsized hull.
Weather conditions in the accident area are unfavorable. Northwesterly winds are blowing at 12 to 14 meters per second, and wave heights are around 2 meters. Because the missing crew members may either remain inside the hull or have drifted out to sea, the KCG is expanding the search area based on local weather conditions and currents.
7 Seongjin is a coastal longline fishing boat that operates offshore using longlines. Longline fishing involves attaching multiple hooks to a long line to catch fish, and coastal longline boats often operate offshore for extended periods.
It was also confirmed that the number of people listed in the departure report differed from the actual number aboard. 7 Seongjin reported eight crew members when it departed, but 11 people were actually on board at the time of the accident.

When a maritime accident occurs, the reported number of people aboard serves as basic information for determining the number of people requiring rescue and the potential number of missing persons. Because discrepancies between reported and actual numbers can affect the accurate accounting of people in the initial stages of an accident, the KCG plans to investigate the circumstances behind the discrepancy once the search is complete.
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, after being briefed on the accident, issued an emergency order to make the rescue of human lives the top priority.
Prime Minister Han ordered the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the KCG to mobilize all available equipment and personnel, including patrol vessels and underwater search-and-rescue teams. Han also asked the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of National Defense and Jeju Province to actively support the rescue effort with deployable personnel and equipment.
Hwang Jong-woo, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, also instructed affiliated agencies, including the KCG and fisheries management authorities, to mobilize as many rescue resources as possible and launch a search-and-rescue operation.
The KCG is currently focusing its capabilities on searching for the missing crew members and rescuing those in distress. After securing statements from the rescued crew members and the vessel's operational records, authorities plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the accident, including the fishing operation immediately before the capsizing, the condition of the hull and the impact of the weather.
[email protected] Jung Yong-bok Reporter