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The Republic of Korea Navy submarine Dosan An Chang-ho takes part in the 2026 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii on July 5 (local time). The photo is not directly related to the content of the article. / Yonhap

The Republic of Korea Navy announced on July 13 that it found and recovered the body of a sailor who had gone missing from a naval patrol vessel.

The Navy stated that it recovered the body of the sailor, who went missing the previous day while on a patrol mission in the East Sea, at around 5:58 a.m. in the waters 52 kilometers east of Geojin. The recovery was officially announced at 6:56 a.m.

The previous day, the Navy disclosed that a crew member had gone missing from a naval vessel conducting a patrol mission near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea. The Navy immediately launched a joint search operation with the Coast Guard, deploying vessels and aircraft. The military also broadcasted the situation to nearby fishing boats and commercial vessels to secure their cooperation in the search.

The Ministry of Unification had also noted the possibility of the sailor drifting into North Korean waters, requesting that North Korea cooperate in the search and repatriation efforts from a humanitarian perspective.

The missing sailor held the rank of Seaman Apprentice, and the vessel he was aboard is reportedly a frigate. He was last seen in the early hours of the previous day by a watchstander conducting an internal patrol in the ship's indoor corridor. It was reported that the sailor was scheduled to rest until 8:00 a.m. after completing his shift at midnight before returning to duty, but the military only noticed his absence when his next shift began at 8:00 a.m.

                                                                                                              Lee Han-sol