[Provided by Jeju Coast Guard]
[Provided by Jeju Coast Guard]

A fishing trip on Jeju Island triggered an unnecessary overnight rescue operation after coast guard and fire department crews were dispatched to search for an angler who had simply left his gear on a rocky shore.

According to the Jeju Coast Guard, a report came in at around 6:46 p.m. Thursday that fishing rods and a landing net had been left unattended on rocks near Yongdumbom on Chuja Island in Jeju, with no person in sight.

Coast guard officials determined there was a possibility of a fall or entrapment and dispatched vessels, including a 500-ton patrol ship, to search the area.

About 20 personnel from the police, fire department and other agencies were also deployed, conducting searches on land and launching drones to locate the missing angler.

After an overnight search, with helicopter deployment being prepared, coast guard officers found the angler — identified only as A, a man in his 60s — at around 6:14 a.m. Friday at the very rocks where he had last been seen.

A had left his gear on the rocks Thursday because it was too cumbersome to carry, returning to his lodgings for the night before coming back in the morning.

Jeong Su-hong, head of the Jeju Coast Guard's integrated operations center, urged anglers to take their equipment with them or leave a contact number and reason for their departure whenever they step away from their spot or pack up, so that unnecessary search operations can be avoided.


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