Coast Guard sends evacuation text at 9:46 a.m. after military alert; vessels disperse to Yonggipohang and nearby ports

50 fishing boats, 29 leisure craft return to shore as maritime operations temporarily suspended

The Incheon Port coastal passenger terminal in Jung-gu, Incheon. This file photo is unrelated to the article. [Yonhap]
The Incheon Port coastal passenger terminal in Jung-gu, Incheon. This file photo is unrelated to the article. [Yonhap]

About 79 vessels operating near Baengnyeong Island, the westernmost point of South Korea in the Yellow Sea, made emergency port calls Tuesday after the military detected what appeared to be a North Korean aircraft in the airspace above the island.

According to the Korea Coast Guard, an emergency evacuation text was sent Tuesday morning at around 9:46 a.m. to vessels operating in waters off Baengnyeong Island in Ongjin-gun, Incheon, ordering fishing boats and leisure craft to return to port immediately due to "an actual situation in progress."

Within moments of the alert, 50 fishing boats and 29 leisure craft — 79 vessels in total — halted operations and headed to Yonggipohang and six other nearby ports on Baengnyeong Island.

Military authorities detected the movement of an aircraft suspected to be North Korean in the airspace near Baengnyeong Island and relayed the emergency to the Coast Guard, triggering the maritime control measure. The Coast Guard then activated maritime safety controls to prevent further contingencies and civilian casualties.

The vessel restrictions were lifted roughly two hours after the aircraft was identified and the situation was brought under control. "The emergency was officially lifted at around 11:56 a.m., two hours and 10 minutes after the evacuation text was sent," a Coast Guard official said, adding that a follow-up text was sent to guide vessels safely back out to sea.


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