Fishing boat grounding leaves three dead off Gageo Island, South Korea

The Korea Times reports that three people died after a fishing vessel ran aground on the southwestern coast of South Korea on the morning (local time) of Saturday, January 4.

Local authorities first learned of the incident at around 10:30 on Saturday when the Korea Coast Guard received a distress call from the crew of the unnamed vessel after it struck a rocky area near Gageo Island in South Jeolla province.

Nineteen of the fishing vessel’s crew were safely rescued by a Korea Coast Guard ship and a Good Samaritan vessel. Tragically, however, the remaining three crewmembers were found suffering from cardiac arrest and were pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital.

Some of the survivors were found adrift in the water, as they had jumped overboard when it became apparent that their vessel was likely to capsize following the crash.

Coast guard officials meanwhile told local news outlet Yonhap that the vessel’s captain may be charged with professional negligence resulting in death in connection with the incident.

Saturday’s grounding is the latest in a series of maritime incidents resulting in death to occur in South Korean waters since the third quarter of 2024.

Four other separate incidents, three of which also involved fishing vessels, were recorded in September, November, and early and late December. Including Saturday’s grounding, the five incidents have a combined death toll of at least 20.