| Part of Korean Conflict | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 Republic of Korea |
 Democratic People's Republic of Korea | ||||
| Strength | |||||
|
1 submarine 9 personnel | |||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| none |
1 submarine captured 9 dead | ||||
| |||||
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 33 km 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.[1] 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.[2] On 23 June the Korean Central News Agency admitted that a submarine had been lost in a training accident.[3] 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.[4] The presence of South Korean drinks suggested that the crew had completed an espionage mission.[5] Log books found in the submarine showed that it had infiltrated South Korean waters on a number of previous occasions.[6]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ "North Korea Sub is snagged off South". New York Times. 23 June 1998. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/23/news/23iht-kor.t_4.html. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ↑ "Sub incident harms Korean relations". BBC News. 22 June 1998. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/117774.stm. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ↑ "N. Korea admits submarine wrecked while training". Kyodo News via The Free Library. 23 June 1998. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/N.+Korea+admits+submarine+wrecked+while+training-a050189253. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ↑ "9 North Koreans dead in submarine". New York Times. 27 June 1998. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/27/news/27iht-kor.t_9.html. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ↑ "`Suicide' crew found in North Korean sub". The Independent. 26 June 1998. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/suicide-crew-found-in-north-korean-sub-1167574.html. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ↑ "N.Korean Subs Ply East Sea with Impunity". The Chosun Ilbo. 27 May 2010. http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/05/27/2010052701296.html. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
External links[]
The original article can be found at 1998 Sokcho submarine incident and the edit history here.