One killed, 6 missing as South Korean boat capsizes in Japan's waters; search Op underway

One crew member was killed and six others still missing when a South Korean boat capsized in the sea of Japan earlier this week. Aircraft and ships have been deployed for the search operation in an attempt to find the missing persons. On Wednesday, October 20, the 72-ton ship, with nine crew members aboard, had overturned in the waters halfway between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Among nine crew members, three were from South Korea, two from Indonesia and four from China, according to The Associated Press (AP). According to the South Korean coast guard, their ship left the eastern port of Hupo last Sunday to catch red crabs.

The South Korean Coast guard informed that the hunt for missing crew members will continue. As of Thursday, October 21, ten ships, three helicopters, and two planes were involved in the operation. However, Japan wrapped up searches on Friday. Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy stated it is working with local governments to contact the four Chinese crew members' relatives, reported Xinhua news agency. In a separate incident last week, as many as 15 migrants died in the hold of a small wooden boat while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya, reported AP. The Libyan coast guard stated its personnel had returned to a naval facility in Tripoli with 140 survivors and 15 dead bodies. 

South Korea concerned about Japan's potential radioactive dump in Pacific Ocean

It should be mentioned here that South Korea's Foreign Ministry has expressed worry about Japan's planned release of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean to cool the reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which has been crippled by the disaster. According to the Yonhap news agency, the official stated that they have expressed serious concerns and opposition to the plan, which could have a negative influence on many people's health, security, and the maritime environment. According to Sputnik, Japan said earlier this year that the wastewater would be released in stages beginning in 2023. Notably, many people in the Commonwealth, Oceania, and East Asia rely on the Pacific Ocean for food, economic subsistence, transportation, and a number of other things that are easily threatened by human activities such as pollution and nuclear testing.

Image: AP