Search Mission

[Anchor Lead]

A vessel found underwater is suspected to be a Coast Guard patrol boat that sank while conducting a mission back in 1980 near Gangwondo Province. The vessel was lost for 39 years and the find comes 29 days after search efforts began.

[Pkg]

At a depth of 105 meters below the surface near Goseongg-gun county in Gangwon-do Province, What looks like a rusty boat emerges from the darkness. It's covered in a fishing net. Whether the number 72 is marked on the boat can't be confirmed, but at 24 meters long and 5 meters wide, the vessel is about the same size as the Coast Guard ship No. 72 that went missing decades ago. This object suspected to be the lost vessel was found in an unmanned submarine search carried out by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology.

[Soundbite] Chung Seom-gyu(President, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology) : "The object found is identical with the sunken ship's design. Other discoveries such as a hiding screen in the rear are features not found on a regular boat."

The Coast Guard has launched this search from early March, mobilizing a 12-hundred ton ship designed to assist submarine missions. Since the end of last month, another vessel named after the Ieodo reef and owned by the Institute of Ocean Science was deployed for the search operation. And after 29 days, an object suspected to be the sunken Coast Guard vessel has been found.

[Soundbite] Baek Hak-seon(Captain, Sokcho Coast Guard) : "It could likely be the sunken ship. For verification, a remotely-operated vehicle needs to do more probing especially on the other side of the boat."

Rather than a continued search, families of the victims want the boat to be pulled out of the water to recover the remains as soon as possible.

[Soundbite] Jo Byung-joo(Representative of victims' families) : "If 90% of opinion supports the findings, then authorities should plan to lift the boat out of the water. I don't think further search should be the option."

The No. 72 vessel sunk after clashing with another patrol ship in January 1980 while conducting duties on the country's east coast. At the time, the 17 coast guards onboard were deemed as having been killed in the line of duty with no efforts to search for remains or salvage the boat.