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Body of missing crew member from sunken trawler found off Yeosu coast

Published: 16 Apr. 2025, 17:17 Updated: 17 Apr. 2025, 15:56

Divers plunge underwater for a search operation on Feb. 14 following the sinking of 139-ton trawler Seogyeong No. 22 in Yeosu, South Jeolla, on Feb. 9. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The body of a missing crew member from the 139-ton trawler Seogyeong No. 22 was recovered on Wednesday, 66 days after the vessel sank off the coast of Yeosu, South Jeolla.

According to the Yeosu Coast Guard, the body was discovered at around 11:43 a.m. inside the wheelhouse of the sunken vessel, located east of Habaek Island near Yeosu.

Two civilian divers were dispatched early in the morning to search the interior of the ship, which lies 82.8 meters (271.6 feet) below the surface. After locating the body, it was brought to the surface within 28 minutes.

While the identity has not yet been confirmed, the Coast Guard said the remains are believed to be one of the five crew members still missing from the Feb. 9 sinking. The condition of the body was not severely damaged, authorities added.

The body will soon be transported via patrol boat to a hospital in Yeosu.

Seogyeong No. 22, a Busan-registered trawler, sank off the coast of Yeosu in the early hours of Feb. 9. Of the 14 people aboard, nine were rescued or recovered on the day of the incident. Five were confirmed dead and five remained missing.

The recovery came after a civilian diving company contracted by the South Jeolla provincial government resumed search operations on March 25. Divers were first able to enter the wreck on Friday, 62 days after the sinking.

The province has extended the search efforts through April 27.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]