The Korea Maritime Traffic Safety Authority (KOMSA) has identified the provinces of Jeju and North Gyeongsang as the two areas in South Korea with the highest recorded numbers of maritime accidents in 2024, the country's Maeil Business Newspaper reports.
The two provinces also experienced increases in the number of maritime accidents compared to the previous year. The number of accidents in Jeju increased by 1.5 per cent while those in North Gyeongsang climbed 1.9 per cent.
Data provided by KOMSA also showed that many of the vessels that were involved in accidents in these two provinces were fishing vessels.
A KOMSA official said that additional preventive measures will be implemented throughout the country beginning this year. These will include analyses of notable individual cases, particularly in regions where accident figures have increased since 2023.
Fishing vessel accidents have become common in South Korea over the last five years with nearly 10,000 recorded instances and 305 deaths, according to a study conducted in early 2025.
The study cited factors such as safety and regulatory lapses, in particular the inadequate training of crews, poorly conducted inspections, and failure to use equipment such as lifejackets.