Rep. Yoon Jae-gap: Marine Police Special Rescue Unit Established, but Equipment is Old and Training Neglected

Over 60% of Rescue Equipment Exceeds Usable Years, Useless in Emergencies

Less Than Half Participate in Deep-Sea Diving Training, Only One Senior Official Attends

Democratic Party of Korea National Assembly member Yoon Jae-gap (Haenam·Wando·Jindo) ⓒ Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] According to data submitted by the Korea Coast Guard to National Assembly member Yoon Jae-gap (Democratic Party, Haenam·Wando·Jindo) of the Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee, even seven years after the Sewol ferry disaster, the Coast Guard’s diving rescue training and equipment remain inadequate.

Immediately after the Sewol tragedy, the Coast Guard established a special rescue unit dedicated to large-scale maritime accidents and has been training and managing deep-sea divers using SSD (commonly known as divers). The problem is that refresher training for these deep-sea divers is conducted only for some personnel.

In fact, in 2019, only 22 out of 40 deep-sea divers belonging to the Central Maritime Special Rescue Unit participated in diving training, while the remaining 18 (approximately 45%) did not participate.

Moreover, among the 22 divers who participated in training, the majority?13 (59%)?trained only twice a year, and among senior field officers ranked lieutenant and above, only 1 out of 10 underwent training, as revealed during the National Assembly audit.

Meanwhile, regarding maritime accidents, a large amount of rescue-related equipment essential for the safety of field personnel during mission execution has been left unused beyond its service life, causing concern.

Of the items exceeding their usage period, 57.5% are rescue-related equipment such as fall-prevention brakes, buoyancy compensators, and diving respirators, which are directly linked not only to rescue targets but also to the lives of field personnel, thus requiring heightened caution.

Assemblyman Yoon Jae-gap strongly demanded that “although the Coast Guard has made considerable efforts under the banner of a complete overhaul from the ground up, there are still vulnerabilities in maritime rescue capabilities and rescue equipment that must be urgently addressed.”

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