▲ This photo shows a burial ceremony taking place at the Daejeon National Cemetery for four Navy officers killed in a fatal maritime patrol aircraft crash in the southeastern city of Pohang on June 1, 2025. (Yonhap)

Navy officers-decoration

4 Navy officers killed in plane crash awarded posthumous decorations

SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- The government on Friday posthumously awarded the order of national security merit to four Navy officers who were killed in a fatal maritime patrol aircraft crash during training last year, the Navy said.

The Navy held an event commemorating the one-year anniversary of the deaths of the four Navy officers -- two commissioned officers and two non-commissioned officers -- at the southeastern city of Pohang and presented the decorations to their bereaved family members.

A P-3CK patrol plane crashed on a mountain in Pohang, some 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, just six minutes after taking off in routine training from a nearby air base, in May last year. No civilian casualties were reported, but all four crew members aboard were killed.

The Navy launched a monthslong investigation into the cause of the incident last year but failed to single out a specific cause, as the patrol plane had no flight data recorder, and its cockpit voice recorder could not be recovered due to extensive damage.

However, the Navy at the time pointed to the lack of training meant to help pilots respond to stalls and other emergency situations when the aircraft is uncontrollable as one of the key factors behind the accident.

The P-3C patrol plane operated by the Navy has since resumed flight operations after a brief halt, but the P-3CK type remains suspended, according to the armed service.

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