The Sokcho Coast Guard in South Korea rescued two fishermen early on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. Their fishing boat had run onto rocks near Bongpo beach in Goseong county, Gangwon province. Both men are safe.
The coast guard got the call at about 4 am local time. The caller said a fishing boat was aground and could not move. The boat is small, about 5.45 tonnes. It had two people on board.
What happened
Coast guard officers went on board the boat. They found a small hole in the store room at the bow, the front part of the boat. Sea water was coming in.
The officers used a pump to take the water out. They also made the boat stable so it would not take in more water or roll over. They brought both men to safety, Yonhap news agency reports.
Later, the swell lifted the boat off the rocks. A rescue team boat then towed it to Daepo Port in Sokcho. The coast guard stayed with the boat until it reached the port.
The coast guard has not said why the boat ran aground. It did not give the name of the boat or the men.
What the coast guard asks fishermen to do
The head of the Sokcho Coast Guard asked people at sea to call the coast guard quickly when something goes wrong. He also asked them to always wear a lifejacket and never to drive a boat after drinking alcohol.
Another Korean fishing boat ran onto a reef in late October. Read how 11 fishermen were rescued after their boat ran onto a reef off Majindo.
What fishermen and small-boat crews can do
Call for help early. Do not wait until the boat is sinking. In South Korea, call 119 for any accident at sea. The old coast guard number 122 was joined with 119 in 2016.
At sea, you can also call on VHF radio channel 16. Say "Mayday" three times, then give the boat's name, your position and how many people are on board.
Wear a lifejacket on deck, day and night. If the boat hits rocks in the dark, there may be no time to find one.
Know where the pump is and test it before you sail. Here, pumping out the water kept the boat afloat until the swell lifted it off.
Never drive a boat after drinking. Alcohol slows you down and makes mistakes at night more likely.
Check the chart and your position often when you fish close to the coast at night. Reefs and rocks near beaches are easy to miss in the dark.
Find emergency numbers and help lines for seafarers in Crewboard's useful links.
Cover photo: Daepo Port in Sokcho, South Korea, in October 2022. The boat in this story was towed to this port. Photo: Bernard Gagnon/Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped).
Sources: Yonhap: Fishing boat aground off Goseong, Gangwon; two on board rescued (4 Nov 2026, Korean), Kangwon Domin Ilbo: Fishing boat aground off Bongpo, Goseong; two crew rescued safely (4 Nov 2026, Korean), Newspim: Sokcho Coast Guard rescues boat aground off Bongpo (4 Nov 2026, Korean), Korea.kr (Korean government policy news): Emergency numbers 119, 112 and 110; sea accidents now reported to 119 (Korean).
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