Illegal foreign crew found on fishing vessel caught by Coast Guard

This article is by Sarah Chea and read by an artificial voice. A fishing vessel that went out to sea carrying illegally employed foreign crew members has been caught, the Coast Guard said Saturday. The Gunsan Coast Guard in North Jeolla is investigating a 7.93-ton fishing boat, registered in Boryeong, South Chungcheong, allegedly carrying two foreign crew members who were not listed on the official crew manifest, according to Yonhap News Agency. The vessel is accused of operating in waters near Jikdo Island off Gunsan at around 7:40 a.m. Saturday. It was confirmed that the foreign workers had boarded the vessel without prior authorization for that specific workplace and that the vessel's captain was aware of the situation but failed to report changes to the crew list. Under Korea's maritime safety rules, any changes in crew lists and the number of people on board must be reported accurately and immediately to ensure rapid rescue operations in the event of an accident.