Korean Ship Capsizes Off Japan... Overseas Korean Protection Countermeasures Headquarters Activated

Overseas Koreans Protection Crisis Alert Raised from 'Caution' to 'Severe'

The government activated the Overseas Korean Nationals Protection Countermeasures Headquarters on the 20th in response to the capsizing of a Korean vessel in Japanese territorial waters.

Kang In-seon, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, chaired a meeting of the Overseas Korean Nationals Protection Countermeasures Headquarters in the afternoon, attended by relevant departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Consul General in Hiroshima, and officials from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

The meeting reviewed the progress of search and rescue operations in the accident area and the measures taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

Vice Minister Kang urged, "Please ensure close cooperation among related ministries so that all government measures, from search and rescue operations in the accident area to support for the families of the crew, can proceed smoothly by mobilizing all available resources." He also requested, "Local diplomatic missions must continue to maintain a constant cooperative system with the host country authorities."

Considering the local situation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised the overseas Korean nationals protection crisis alert from 'Caution' to 'Serious.'

Operation of Overseas Korean Protection Countermeasures Headquarters Regarding Capsizing Accident of Korean-Flagged Vessel in Japan
[Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs]

The Japan Coast Guard received a distress call around 7 a.m. that day from a Korean transport vessel stating "the ship is tilting" off Mutsure Island, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Honshu, and conducted rescue operations.

Of the total 11 people on board the vessel at the time of the accident, 9 were rescued and transported to hospitals, but 7 of them died.

The 11 people on board the vessel were 2 Koreans, 8 Indonesians, and 1 Chinese by nationality.

So far, the rescue status and death confirmation of the Koreans have not been verified.

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