Two Crew Members Missing After Fire Sinks Korean Fishing Vessel Off Jeju Island

A fishing vessel fire and sinking off Cha Gui Do, southwest of Jeju Island, left two crew members unaccounted for as eight others were rescued. The incident involved a 29-ton nearshore gillnetter based at Hallim Port, with the missing two Korean crewmen still unaccounted for since the fire occurred on the morning of the 14th.

Jeju Governor Oh Yeong-hoon chaired an on-site countermeasure meeting at Hallim Port on the morning of the 15th to review the status of the missing crew search and the overall response plan. He pledged close cooperation with the Coast Guard and other agencies to locate the two missing sailors and to minimize disruption for their families.

The accident occurred around 10:00 a.m. on the 14th, about 90 kilometers southwest of Cha Gui Do. The vessel Je703 Yukyeongho caught fire, and nearby vessel 237 Haedokho rescued eight of the ten crew members aboard. The two remaining crew were Korean nationals, and their status remained unconfirmed.

The Coast Guard mobilized multiple assets: the 3002 patrol ship was first deployed to fight the blaze, followed by the 3006 and a B-526 helicopter. The hull sustained a crack after the fire, allowing seawater to enter; the exterior fire was extinguished by about 5:30 p.m., but the vessel later sank. The water depth in the area is reported at 74–80 meters, and authorities have centered a search in a roughly 3.7-kilometer-by-3.7-kilometer area with six Coast Guard ships and two aircraft involved.

All families were notified, with three relatives from Gyeongnam Province arriving in Jeju to receive updates. Jeju City has assigned a dedicated public official to the case, opening an integrated response center, with a dedicated waiting space arranged for a missing Jeju resident.

Among the eight rescued crew members, four Indonesian nationals were flown by helicopter to a hospital. Three of these four require respiratory treatment and are hospitalized at a regional emergency medical center; the remaining five rescued crew were discharged to accommodations. The Coast Guard and local authorities continue to evaluate underwater search options and investigate the fire’s cause.

The incident underscores ongoing maritime safety and search-and-rescue challenges in the region. For U.S. readers, the case highlights the interconnectedness of Northeast Asian seafood supply chains, labor with foreign crew on Korean vessels, and the importance of robust safety and emergency response cooperation among nations in a region that includes important trade routes and shared fishing grounds.