Navy Sailor Missing During Patrol Mission in East Sea; Search Underway

A Navy sailor who was on a patrol mission near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea went missing today (July 12), and authorities are currently conducting a search.
The Navy announced through a press release today, "A sailor serving on a Navy vessel currently on a patrol mission went missing this morning in waters approximately 50 km east of Geojin-eup, Goseong-gun, in the East Sea."
The missing sailor is an Army private first class, and the vessel is reported to be a frigate.
It is reported that the sailor was last seen in an interior corridor of the frigate by a crew member on duty who was patrolling the ship's interior between 12:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. today.
The disappearance was reportedly discovered at 8:00 a.m. when the sailor failed to show up for their scheduled duty.
The Navy, in coordination with the Korea Coast Guard, has deployed over 10 vessels and several aircraft to search for the missing person.
"We have also notified fishing boats operating in the area and nearby merchant ships to request their cooperation in the search," the Navy stated.
It is understood that the fact of the disappearance has also been notified to North Korea through the international merchant ship communication network, which is accessible to the North.
Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back received a report on the missing person incident this morning and ordered that all possible efforts be made to rescue the sailor as quickly and safely as possible.
The Ministry of National Defense explained that the Minister also ordered the maintenance of an active cooperation system with relevant agencies, including the Korea Coast Guard.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.