[Summary] One Naval Officer Missing at Sea near Baengnyeongdo, West Sea

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]One naval ship officer went missing while performing a nighttime mission in the southern waters off Baengnyeongdo, the northernmost island in the West Sea, and the military authorities are conducting a search.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on the 9th, "Yesterday (the 8th) around 10 p.m., one naval ship crew member (officer) went missing in the southern waters off Baengnyeongdo."

The Joint Chiefs added, "The missing person report was broadcast through the International Maritime Common Network, and search and rescue operations are being conducted in the nearby waters together with coast guard vessels and government ships."

The missing officer is Sergeant A, and it is known that the last image before disappearance was captured on the high-speed ship's CCTV at around 9:35 p.m. on the 8th, the day of disappearance.

The high-speed ship on which Sergeant A was aboard is a 450-ton guided missile high-speed ship, and it is understood that about 40 people, including A, were on board at the time.

The high-speed ship was performing a mission in the southern waters, and the disappearance of Sergeant A was finally confirmed around 10:30 p.m. after entering Baengnyeongdo.

Therefore, it is estimated that the disappearance occurred between 9:35 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

At that time, the naval ship was reportedly moving for a nighttime guard mission, and considering the poor weather conditions such as snowfall and low temperatures, the military authorities are conducting the search with various possibilities in mind, including accidental falls. It is understood that it was snowing and cloudy in the nearby waters when Sergeant A went missing. The wave height was relatively high at around 2.5 meters, and the wind was also strong.

There is also a possibility that the ship's deck was slippery due to the snow and low temperatures.

The military authorities are currently operating a current prediction system to conduct search and rescue activities, and several vessels including naval ships, coast guard vessels, and government ships were deployed immediately after the disappearance was recognized. However, concerns have been raised that the search may not be easy due to the still unfavorable weather conditions.

In addition, apart from the International Maritime Common Network, the Coast Guard also broadcast the missing situation and search status more than ten times through the Gyeongin VTS. The first search status broadcast communication was reportedly made around 12:15 a.m. on the 9th, about two hours after the disappearance.

Both the International Maritime Common Network and VTS are types of one-way communication means that can be sent to fishing boats or merchant ships in the nearby waters.

Although it is not mutual communication, considering that both the International Maritime Common Network and Gyeongin VTS channels can be received in North Korea, it appears that the broadcasts were also transmitted to the North. However, a military official stated that there have been no unusual movements by the North Korean military so far.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.