Overview
- A seaman apprentice was reported missing from a frigate during an East Sea patrol and failed to show for the morning watch after an overnight duty, prompting a search on Sunday.
- The Navy and Coast Guard deployed about 10 ships and aircraft and alerted nearby vessels to search waters roughly 50 km off Geojin in Gangwon Province.
- Seoul's Unification Ministry sent a humanitarian request to North Korea and the Navy notified Pyongyang through international merchant marine channels because the sailor may have drifted north of the Northern Limit Line.
- A patrol boat found the sailor's body about 52 km off Geojin early on July 13 and authorities recovered it for transport to Donghae naval base, with reports saying he was not wearing a life jacket when found.
- Police and military investigators have launched a joint probe to review ship surveillance and other evidence, and the case underscores risks in the tense, communication‑cut border waters with North Korea.