Fishing vessel sinks off Jeju coast - 2 dead and 12 missing

In the early hours of Friday, a large 129-ton fishing vessel sank off the coast of Jeju while fishing for mackerel, resulting in the deaths of two crew members and leaving 12 others missing. The Coast Guard believes the boat capsized due to the weight of the catch in its nets.

According to the Korea Coast Guard in Jeju, a report was received at around 4:31 a.m. that the 135 Geumseongho, registered in Busan, was sinking about 24 kilometers northwest of Biyangdo, Hallim-eup, Jeju. A total of 27 people were on board—16 Koreans and 11 Indonesians—engaged in fishing operations.

The Korea Coast Guard reported that the 135 Geumseongho was waiting to transfer its catch to a transport vessel when it suddenly tilted and capsized within 20 to 30 seconds. According to eyewitnesses, the ship suddenly leaned to the right before completely capsizing. The vessel sank entirely around 5:13 a.m., resting approximately 90 meters below the surface. At the time, the waves were relatively calm at 1–2 meters, making it unlikely that weather conditions contributed to the incident.

Of the 135 Geumseongho crew members, 15 were rescued at the scene—six Koreans and nine Indonesians. Among them, two Koreans, Joo (57) and Han (54), were taken to the hospital but were later pronounced dead. The remaining 13 are reportedly in stable condition. The 12 missing crew members are presumed to be either inside the vessel or in the surrounding waters. Considering the water temperature of 22 degrees Celsius in the accident area, the Coast Guard estimates the “golden time” for a successful rescue to be approximately 24 hours.

President Yoon Suk Yeol issued an urgent directive, calling on relevant ministries to mobilize all available resources and personnel for the search and rescue operation, while ensuring rescue personnel's safety.


송은범 기자 seb1119@donga.com