"Sergeant Lee Jaeseok Survived at Least 55 Minutes"…Coast Guard Report Error

Coast Guard Revises Last Sighting Time

It has been determined that the late Coast Guard Sergeant Lee Jaeseok, 34, who died in the line of duty while rescuing an elderly man stranded in a tidal flat, survived for at least 55 minutes after meeting the stranded individual. This is about 20 minutes later than the previously reported last sighting time.

On September 15, at the Incheon Coast Guard Station in Seo-gu, Incheon, a fellow officer wipes away tears during the funeral service of the late Coast Guard Sergeant Lee Jaeseok. 2025.9.15 [Joint Coverage] Yonhap News Agency

On September 17, the Korea Coast Guard announced that video footage taken by a drone patrol company captured Sergeant Lee at around 3:49 a.m. on September 11.

This means that Sergeant Lee was still alive 55 minutes after meeting Mr. A, a Chinese national in his 70s who was stranded in the tidal flats of Yeongheungdo, Incheon, at 2:54 a.m.

According to the disaster safety communication network transcript that recorded the situation at the time, a police station staff member informed others that they had met the drone team, saying, "They say they can see Jaeseok and the person in need moving now," and "They say they are currently floating in the water."

However, the accident report prepared by the Coast Guard based on the duty log stated, "At 3:27 a.m., during drone monitoring, the locations of the rescuer and the person in need were lost," which has been found to be incorrect.

The Coast Guard released a statement that day, saying, "After comparing and analyzing the drone footage and radio transcripts from the time, we confirmed that the last time Sergeant Lee was captured on the drone was different from what was previously reported," adding, "An independent external agency will investigate the exact time and the cause of the error."

Sergeant Lee, who was assigned to the Yeongheung Police Substation of the Incheon Coast Guard, responded alone to the scene at 2:07 a.m. on September 11 after receiving a report from a drone patrol company that "a person is sitting in the tidal flat." He went missing during the rescue operation. It was determined that he gave his own life jacket to Mr. A, who had injured his foot, helped him put on patrol gloves, and then tried to swim out together, during which he went missing.

Sergeant Lee was found in cardiac arrest at 9:41 a.m. that day, 1.4 kilometers from Kkotseom in Yeongheung-myeon, and was transported to a hospital, but was pronounced dead.

On the 15th, the funeral ceremony for the late Marine Police Officer Sergeant Lee Jaeseok was held at the Incheon Coast Guard Station in Seo-gu, Incheon. September 15, 2025. [Joint Coverage] Yonhap News Agency

Some have pointed out that despite the anticipated risks due to an increase in tourists and anglers on the day of the accident, the police substation failed to follow duty regulations, which contributed to the incident. According to the Yeongheung Police Substation duty log obtained by the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Moon Daerim, the main duty instructions for September 10-11 included a note stating, "An increase in tourists and anglers is expected to raise the risk of accidents." Other instructions included, "Maintain full readiness for emergencies, thoroughly coordinate with the Civilian Marine Disaster Rescue Team and share information with related agencies, and strictly manage duty and basic work."

However, the two-person team rule was not followed at the site where Mr. A was stranded, and Sergeant Lee responded alone and suffered the accident.

There were six staff members on duty at the police substation at the time, but four of them were given more break time than regulations allowed during the same period, leaving only Sergeant Lee and the duty team leader on duty.

After Sergeant Lee went missing at sea, it took about 40 minutes for actual rescue equipment to be deployed, and it was also revealed that the staff failed to locate the spare key for the marine patrol vehicle in a timely manner.