1998 Sokcho submarine incident
Combat incident between North Korea and South Korea
| Part of Korean Conflict | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| 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) | ||||||
- v
- t
- e
- Pre Armistice
- Korea Strait
- Chumonchin Chan
- Haeju
- Inchon
- Tailboard
- 2nd Wonsan
- Fireball
- Buzz Saw
- Kickoff
- USS Walke Incident
- Han River
- Post Armistice
- Dangpo sinking (1967)
- ROK Coast Guard ship sinking (1974)
- Gangneung Incident (1996)
- Sokcho Incident (1998)
- Yeosu Incident (1998)
- Maritime border incidents
- First Battle of Yeongpyeong
- Second Battle of Yeongpyeong
- Daecheong incident (2009)
- Cheonan sinking (2010)
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
- ^ "North Korea Sub is snagged off South". New York Times. 23 June 1998. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ^ Efron, Sonni (1998-06-23). "S. Korea Seizes Another Northern Sub Off Coast". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Sub incident harms Korean relations". BBC News. 22 June 1998. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ^ "N. Korea admits submarine wrecked while training". Kyodo News via The Free Library. 23 June 1998. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ^ "9 North Koreans dead in submarine". New York Times. 27 June 1998. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ^ "'Suicide' crew found in North Korean sub". The Independent. 26 June 1998. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ^ "N.Korean Subs Ply East Sea with Impunity". The Chosun Ilbo. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ^ Kyong-Hwa Seok (3 July 1998). "N. Korea Sub Crew's Bodies Returned". Associated Press. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
External links
- BBC News photo of the submarine
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1998 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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38°13′41″N 128°43′41″E / 38.228°N 128.728°E / 38.228; 128.728
