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Passenger details tense scene after ferry ran aground

Published: 20 Nov. 2025, 14:54

Passengers from the Queen Jenuvia II ferry being brought to safety at the Korea Coast Guard pier in Mokpo, South Jeolla, on Nov. 19. [YONHAP]

SHINAN, SOUTH JEOLLA — A passenger ferry traveling from Jeju Island to Mokpo ran aground on an uninhabited islet off Shinan county, South Jeolla, late Wednesday night, triggering a tense evacuation of all 246 passengers. While no serious injuries were reported, the accident left many onboard shaken as they awaited rescue in life jackets for hours.

On her way back to her home in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, after spending six months “living in Jeju,” 23-year-old Lee Ha-na boarded a passenger ferry bound for Mokpo with her boyfriend and their two dogs. What was meant to be just a month-long stay had stretched on as their satisfaction with island life grew — and so did their luggage, filling their car, which was loaded onto the ship.

Lee, a passenger on the Queen Jenuvia II, which ran aground off Shinan county, South Jeolla, on Wednesday, recalled, “The ship shook so violently that people were falling over.” Speaking to the JoongAng Ilbo on Thursday, she said, “When the rescue team reached out their hands for us to disembark, it felt like a beam of light.”

The ferry had departed Jeju Port at 4:40 p.m. Tuesday and was about 40 minutes from arriving at Mokpo Port when it struck an uninhabited islet off Shinan. “At around 8:10 p.m., we heard a loud ‘bang,’” she said. “The sound was so huge that I first thought something had happened to one of the cars on board.”

She rushed out of the cabin to assess the situation. Shelves at the onboard convenience store had toppled and goods were scattered across the floor. Her boyfriend, who had stepped out onto the deck, returned saying the ship “seemed to have hit something.” The vessel was stuck on top of a small uninhabited island.

According to Lee, the announcements kept saying, “Please wait while we investigate the situation,” and, “Please move inside from the deck and remain there.” She recalled, “It made me think of the Sewol ferry disaster, and I was terrified. I thought, ‘I’m going to die.’”

Messages exchanged between Queen Jenuvia II passenger Lee Ha-na, 23, and her father at the time of the accident. [LEE HA-NA]

The Sewol ferry disaster occurred on April 16, 2014, when a passenger ferry, the Sewol, capsized and sank en route from Incheon toward Jeju. The tragedy resulted in the deaths of 304 people, most of whom were high school students on a field trip.

Describing the immediate aftermath, Lee said, “At first some people were panicking, and I saw others running around clutching their dogs,” adding that many passengers “went to the information desk asking what was happening.” Although it did not appear the ship was in imminent danger of sinking, the atmosphere was tense, she said.

Worried, she thought of her parents. Although mobile reception was poor, she managed to send a message to her father along with a photo of herself wearing a life jacket: “I’m on a ship and there’s been an accident.” Throughout their exchange, he repeatedly asked, “Are you okay?” “My daughter?” “What’s going on?” “Are you off the ship?”

Around 9:20 p.m., Lee lined up with other passengers as instructed to disembark. Elderly passengers and those in pain were taken off first.

Shelves inside the ferry’s convenience store are seen toppled at around 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 19, shortly after the Queen Jenuvia II ran aground en route to Mokpo. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Lee finally stepped off the ferry at 10:57 p.m. and boarded a Korea Coast Guard rescue boat. She did not set foot on land until 12:20 a.m. Thursday. “I was so tense on the rescue boat because I was afraid another accident might happen, and afterward my whole body felt sore, like I had muscle pain,” she said. “I could only relax once we reached land.”

The Coast Guard completed the rescue of all 246 passengers by 11:27 p.m., three hours and 10 minutes after the accident was reported. Photos and videos posted on social media showed passengers waiting calmly in their life jackets. The 21 crew members stayed behind on the vessel to manage the situation and did not board rescue boats.

In its initial investigation, the Coast Guard determined that the ship’s navigation officer caused the accident by being distracted — including looking at a mobile phone. The officer left the vessel on autopilot in a zone where it required manual steering and missed the moment when the ship should have changed course, according to the Coast Guard.

Twenty-seven passengers who reported pain after the collision were transported to hospitals, though none suffered severe injuries.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY OH SO-YEONG, IM SOUNG-BIN [[email protected]]