1998 Sokcho submarine incident

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

1998 Sokcho submarine incident
Part of the Korean conflict
Date 22 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)

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

• 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident
• 1998 Yeosu submersible incident

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.

External links

• BBC News photo of the submarine

38.228°N 128.728°E / 38.228; 128.728