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| Moogoonghwa 3, right, approaches a fishing boat on March 24 after its operating company had lost contact earlier that day. Courtesy of Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries |
By Ko Dong-hwan
A Vietnamese sailor who used a knife to threaten the captain and crewmates on a fishing boat in Korea's southern waters has been detained.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries told The Korea Times Thursday that it transferred the man to the Jeju Island coast guard Wednesday after capturing him aboard the ship in waters 83 kilometers south of the island's Seogwipo.
After being unable to communicate with the ship for several hours, the vessel's operating company reported the problem to a fishery watchdog under the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, saying the crew of six Koreans, including the captain, and six Vietnamese could be in danger.
The ministry's fishery managing authority dispatched the search boat Moogoonghwa 3.
During the mission, the Moogoonghwa 3 received intelligence information from Korea Coast Guard that the ship was found some 92 kilometers southeast of Ieoh Island, which is located southwest of Jeju.
The search officials discovered that one of the Vietnamese sailors was inside the ship's control room threatening the captain with a knife. The officials, according to the ministry, subdued the sailor.
All members of the ship's crew were unharmed, the ministry said.
