Two fishermen were rescued after their small boat turned over off Tongyeong, South Korea, on Thursday, 5 November 2026. They were standing on the upturned hull when help came. Both men went to hospital.
The boat turned over at about 14:12 local time near Yeonhwado, a small island south of Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang province. The Tongyeong Coast Guard led the rescue.
What happened
The boat was a coastal trap fishing boat of 2.75 tonnes, registered in Tongyeong. There were two people on board. One was the captain, aged 63. The other was a foreign crew member, aged 32.
The boat left Obido, near Tongyeong, at about 06:30 in the morning. From about 07:20 it fished near Yeonhwado. Then the weather suddenly got worse. The boat headed back to port, but big swell waves turned it over, the coast guard said.
Just before the boat turned over, the captain pressed the SOS button on the V-PASS, Kukinews reports. V-PASS is a small device on Korean fishing boats. It sends the boat's position to the coast guard, and it has an SOS button for emergencies.
The rescue
The coast guard got the SOS signal and sent its rescue teams. It also asked a nearby boat for help. This was a 6.63-tonne boat that takes people out fishing.
That boat arrived about 10 minutes later. Its crew took both men off the upturned hull.
The captain had a deep cut, about 20 cm long, above his right eye. He got first aid on a coast guard patrol boat. The crew member had hypothermia, which means his body had become dangerously cold. A fire service boat then took both men to hospital. News1 reports that neither man was badly hurt.
The coast guard moved the boat to a safe area and took steps so it would not sink. It will be towed to port. The coast guard is checking the cause of the accident. It has not given the name of the boat or the men.
This is the second rescue of fishermen in South Korea today. Read how all eight crew escaped a fire on a fishing boat off Gunsan. Earlier this week, two fishermen were rescued after their boat ran onto rocks off Goseong.
What fishermen and small-boat crews can learn
The head of the Tongyeong Coast Guard said a small mistake at sea can lead to a big accident. He asked fishermen to always wear a lifejacket. He also asked them to use the V-PASS SOS button and other ways to call for help.
Press the SOS button or send a distress call as soon as you are in danger. Do not wait. Here, the captain pressed it before the boat turned over, and help came in about 10 minutes.
Know where the SOS button is on your boat's tracking device or radio. Show every crew member how to use it, including new and foreign crew.
Check the weather forecast before you go out and during the day. When the weather starts to get worse, go back to port early.
Swell waves can come suddenly, even when the wind seems light. Keep the boat's speed and course safe, and keep heavy gear and catch low and tied down.
Wear a lifejacket on deck all the time. A boat can turn over in seconds, with no time to find one.
If the boat turns over and still floats, stay with it. Climb onto the hull if you can. A boat is much easier for rescuers to see than a person in the water.
Cold water and wind take away body heat fast. Get out of the water if you can, and keep together. Treat anyone rescued for hypothermia: get them dry and warm, and get medical help.
In South Korea, call 119 for any accident at sea. On VHF radio, use channel 16. Say "Mayday" three times, then give the boat's name, your position and how many people are on board.
Find emergency numbers and help lines for seafarers in Crewboard's useful links.
Cover photo: Small fishing boats and fishing traps in the harbour of Tongyeong, South Korea, in May 2009. Illustrative photo, not the boat in this story. Photo: Junho Jung/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped).
Sources: Yonhap: Fishing boat turned over by waves off Yeonhwado, Tongyeong; 2 crew rescued (5 Nov 2026, Korean), Kukinews: Fishing boat capsizes near Yeonhwado, Tongyeong; 2 crew rescued after V-PASS SOS (5 Nov 2026, Korean), Newsis: 2.75-tonne boat capsizes off Yeonhwado, Tongyeong; 2 rescued (5 Nov 2026, Korean), News1: Fishing boat capsized by swell waves off Yeonhwado, Tongyeong; 2 rescued (5 Nov 2026, Korean), Korea.kr (Korean government policy news): Emergency numbers 119, 112 and 110; sea accidents now reported to 119 (Korean).
How we choose, write and correct our articles: editorial policy.
