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1998 Sokcho submarine incident

Coordinates: 38°13′41″N 128°43′41″E / 38.228°N 128.728°E / 38.228; 128.728
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1998 Sokcho submarine incident
Part of the Korean conflict
Date22 June 1998
Location
Offshore of Sokcho, Gangwon-do
Result Loss of North Korean submarine and personnel
Belligerents
 South Korea  North Korea
Strength
1 Pohang-class corvette 1 Yugo-class submarine
Casualties and losses
None 1 submarine captured
9 dead (5 executed, 4 by suicide)

The 1998 Sokcho submarine incident occurred on 22 June 1998, offshore of the South Korean city of Sokcho.

Capture

On 22 June, a North Korean Yugo-class submarine became entangled in a fishing driftnet in South Korean waters approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) east of the port of Sokcho and 33 kilometres (21 mi) south of the inter-Korean border. A South Korean fishing boat observed several submarine crewmen trying to untangle the submarine from the fishing net. The South Korean Navy sent a Pohang-class corvette which towed the submarine (with the crew still inside) to a navy base at the port of Donghae.[1][2] The submarine sank as it was being towed into port; it was unclear if this was as a result of damage or a deliberate scuttling by the crew.[3]

On 23 June, the Korean Central News Agency admitted that a submarine had been lost in a training accident.[4]

On 25 June, the submarine was salvaged from a depth of approximately 30 metres (100 ft) and the bodies of nine crewmen were recovered; five sailors had apparently been killed while four agents had apparently committed suicide.[5] The presence of South Korean drinks suggested that the crew had completed an espionage mission.[6] Log books found in the submarine showed that it had infiltrated South Korean waters on a number of previous occasions.[7]

The bodies of the members of submarine crew were subsequently returned to North Korea in a ceremony that took place in Panmunjom on 3 July 1998.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "North Korea Sub is snagged off South". New York Times. 23 June 1998. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  2. ^ Efron, Sonni (1998-06-23). "S. Korea Seizes Another Northern Sub Off Coast". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  3. ^ "Sub incident harms Korean relations". BBC News. 22 June 1998. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  4. ^ "N. Korea admits submarine wrecked while training". Kyodo News via The Free Library. 23 June 1998. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  5. ^ "9 North Koreans dead in submarine". New York Times. 27 June 1998. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  6. ^ "'Suicide' crew found in North Korean sub". The Independent. 26 June 1998. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  7. ^ "N.Korean Subs Ply East Sea with Impunity". The Chosun Ilbo. 27 May 2010. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  8. ^ Kyong-Hwa Seok (3 July 1998). "N. Korea Sub Crew's Bodies Returned". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.

38°13′41″N 128°43′41″E / 38.228°N 128.728°E / 38.228; 128.728

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