“Foreign crew make up 3 in 10 deaths or disappearances in Korean fishing vessel accidents, most from Indonesia”, 14 April 2025

Three out of every ten seafarers who died or went missing in South Korean fishing vessel accidents last year were foreign nationals, with most identified as Indonesian crew members.

According to data released on 14 April by the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal and the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, 35 of the 118 crew members who died or went missing in fishing vessel incidents in 2024 (including capsizing and sinking) were foreign nationals, accounting for 30% of the total.

The number of foreign seafarers has risen steadily in recent years, increasing from 12,600 in 2018 to 14,819 last year, amid a domestic shortage of Korean fishing labour.

Several recent maritime incidents have involved foreign casualties. Two Indonesian crew members went missing when the fishing vessel Geumseong 135 sank off Jeju in late 2024. In a separate fire aboard a fishing boat in Buan in February, five foreign crew members – including Indonesians – were killed or reported missing. Last month, a Vietnamese crew member died following a collision involving a small fishing boat near Busan.

In response, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is discussing measures to reduce fatalities through its Task Force on Reducing Human Casualties at Sea, which includes consideration of safety measures specific to foreign crew.

Currently, only senior crew members such as captains and owners are subject to mandatory safety training under guidelines from the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives. However, there is no legal basis for penalising management companies or foreign crew who fail to follow safety procedures or instructions.