Three dead, one missing after fishing boats run aground near South Korea's Jeju Island

Three people are confirmed dead while a fourth has gone missing after two fishing boats ran aground and became stranded near Jeju Island in South Korea on Saturday, February 1.

The two vessels had a total of 15 embarked crewmembers when the twin groundings occurred on some rocks near the island of Tokkiseom at around 09:25 local time on Saturday.

The Korea Coast Guard and the South Korean military deployed vessels and aircraft to conduct search and rescue (SAR) operations even as the waters off Tokkiseom were experiencing strong winds and rough waves.

Eleven people were rescued by 12:06. This number also includes one crewmember who was found suffering from cardiac arrest.

The three confirmed fatalities include the South Korean captain of one of the vessels, an Indonesian crewman from the same vessel, and another Indonesian crewman from the other vessel. The body of one of the deceased Indonesian crewmen was found floating in those same waters at around 16:50 on Sunday, February 2.

One other Indonesian sailor remains unaccounted for.

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.

Five other separate incidents, four of which also involved fishing vessels, were recorded in September, November, early and late December, and January. Including Saturday’s grounding, the six incidents have a combined death toll of at least 23.