1998 Sokcho submarine incident

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 km east of the port of Sokcho and 33km 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 fishing boat notified the Republic of Korea Navy and a corvette towed the submarine with the crew still inside to a navy base at the port of Donghae. 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.

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

On 25 June the submarine was salvaged from a depth of approximately 100 feet (30 m) and the bodies of 9 crewmen were recovered, 5 sailors had apparently been murdered while 4 agents had apparently committed suicide. The presence of South Korean drinks suggested that the crew had completed an espionage mission. Log books found in the submarine showed that it had infiltrated South Korean waters on a number of previous occasions.

The bodies of the members of submarine crew were subsequently buried in the Cemetery for North Korean and Chinese Soldiers.

See also

• 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident
• Battle of Yeosu

External links

• BBC News photo of the submarine