(2nd LD) Chinese cargo ship sinks off S. Korea's southwestern coast after drifting from China

▲ This photo, provided by the Mokpo Coast Guard, shows a sunken Chinese cargo ship in waters off Gageo Island, 422 km southwest of Seoul, on Nov. 29, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) submerged cargo ship-suspected illegal entry

(2nd LD) Chinese cargo ship sinks off S. Korea's southwestern coast after drifting from China

(ATTN: RECASTS throughout with Coast Guard statement on accident; CHANGES headline)

MOKPO, South Korea, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) -- An unoccupied Chinese cargo ship sank in waters off South Korea's southwestern coast Wednesday, after drifting from a port in China's northeastern province of Shandong for nearly two weeks, the Coast Guard said.

The Mokpo Coast Guard said it found no crew members during its search of the submerged 200-ton ship at around 8:09 a.m., prompting officials to beef up security by setting up a task force to search nearby areas for possible signs of illegal entry.

The ship sank in waters off Gageo Island, 422 kilometers southwest of Seoul, about an hour later.

The Coast Guard concluded that there is no evidence of attempted illegal entry, citing an account from the Chinese ship owner that the ship had disappeared from a port in Weihai in Shandong Province, where it was anchored, on Nov. 17 and he reported the missing ship to the Chinese Coast Guard a day later.

"We confirmed the ship was adrift from China with no crew on board," the Mokpo Coast Guard said after sharing information with the Chinese Coast Guard and the Chinese ship owner through documents obtained from the ship.

The Chinese ship owner confirmed that the sunken ship was indeed his own after seeing photos of the ill-fated ship, according to the Mokpo Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard said the Chinese ship could have reached Gageo Island from a port in Weihai through ocean currents without engine power, citing its own simulation.

Fishermen who operated near the expected route of the drifted Chinese ship told the Coast Guard that they saw the ship in the waters off the island two to three days ago.

In recent months, Chinese nationals have been caught illegally entering South Korea.

In October, 22 Chinese nationals were detained and indicted for jumping off their ship in waters off the western coastal city of Boryeong in an attempt to illegally enter South Korea.

A Chinese man was also arrested in August for attempting an illegal entry into the coastal waters of Incheon, 27 km west of Seoul, by riding a jet ski from China's Shandong Province.

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