Korean fishing boat capsizes, nine of 12 crew members missing

Rescue efforts continued throughout Sunday after a Korean fishing boat, the Cheongbo, capsized in waters off the southwestern coast late Saturday evening, officials said.

Search and rescue teams from the Navy and Coast Guard on Sunday look for survivors from the Cheongbo, a fishing boat that capsized 16.6 kilometers off the coast of Daebichi-do, an island in Sinan County, South Jeolla. [YONHAP]

Rescue efforts continued throughout Sunday after a Korean fishing boat, the Cheongbo, capsized in waters off the southwestern coast late Saturday evening, officials said.

Of the 12 crew members, nine are still missing — seven Koreans and two Vietnamese. Three — two Koreans and an Indonesian — were rescued.

The Navy dispatched three warships, one maritime patrol aircraft and five Ship Salvage Unit (SSU) agents to the ship's location, while the Air Force deployed two Air Force helicopters and four Special Air Rescue Team agents to aid in the Coast Guard's rescue efforts.

The Coast Guard's Vessel Traffic System (VTS), which monitors maritime traffic and receives shipping updates around the country's waters, first received a distress report from the Cheongbo at 11:17 p.m. on Saturday.

But by the time a nearby carbo ship approached the Cheongbo's reported position at 11:24 p.m., the fishing boat had already capsized, leaving only its keel and propellers above the surface of the water, according to the cargo ship's VTS report.

No reason has been given for why the ship — a 24-ton Incheon-class vessel — turned over in calm seas approximately 16.6 kilometers (9.9 miles) west of Daebichi-do, an island in Sinan County, South Jeolla.

According to Coast Guard officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to Yonhap, one of the surviving crew members said the ship's starboard engine often malfunctioned and the engine room suffered from minor flooding on occasion.

Another surviving crew member told officials that the ship had a slight portside list when it set sail for Chuja-do, a minor archipelago located halfway between South Jeolla and Jeju Island.

The survivor said that one of the Vietnamese crewmembers alerted the ship's engineer that the engine room had flooded, three hours into the journey.

The engineer shouted for the Cheongbo's crew to evacuate upon seeing the flooding, but the survivors reported that the ship's fishing equipment impeded the escape of some, according to officials.

Search and rescue operations focused on the waters surrounding the capsized vessel, following survivor testimonies that some of the crew managed to escape overboard before the Cheongbo turned over completely.

The Coast Guard attempted to enter the stricken vessel five times starting at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, but also found possible entryways blocked by equipment.

The Coast Guard plans to begin towing the overturned Cheongbo back to port after the ship's interior has been searched.

President Yoon Suk Yeol issued an emergency rescue order at 12:47 a.m. on Sunday after news reached the presidential office that a Korean fishing vessel had flipped over.

The president sent Cho Seung-hwan, minister of oceans and fisheries, and Vice Minister of the Interior and Safety Han Chang-seob to the area to oversee local rescue efforts, while ordering Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup to dispatch naval special forces.

"President Yoon ordered relevant ministries, including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, to mount an all-out effort by expanding the scope of search area through cooperation between related agencies," said Kim Eun-hye, senior public relations secretary for the presidential office.

According to Kim, the president told ministries in charge of the rescue effort to "be thorough so that there is no shortage of support for victims, such as updates for the families of the missing and on-site waiting spaces and supplies."

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]