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Colleagues allege Coast Guard attempted to cover up officer's tragic death

Published: 15 Sep. 2025, 15:29

Four colleague of Lee Jae-seok, a Coast Guard officer who died while rescuing an older man trapped at a mud flat, hold a press conference at Lee's funeral home in Dong District, Incheon, on Sept. 15. The officers alleged that Coast Guard higher-ups tried to cover up the circumstances of Lee's death. [YONHAP]

Four colleagues of Lee Jae-seok, a Coast Guard officer who died while rescuing an older man trapped in a mudflat, alleged during a Monday press conference at his funeral home in Incheon that the Coast Guard tried to cover up details of the incident.

"Our station chief told us to 'keep quiet about the incident because we need to make Lee a hero,’” said one of Lee’s colleagues from the Yeongheung Coast Guard Station.

"We were told to shed tears but say nothing if we met his family."

They said the order came as Lee was being taken to the hospital after being found. The station chief gathered team members and other personnel called in for emergency duty and delivered the directive, citing instructions from the Incheon Coast Guard chief.

The colleagues said they initially tried to cooperate with the investigation but decided to speak out after meeting the bereaved family.

They also alleged that the Incheon Coast Guard chief had similarly told them not to make unnecessary remarks to the family.

Six people were on duty at the time of the accident, but the four who spoke at the press conference were on break during the incident. They criticized the team leader, saying “slow response delayed the rescue.”

Colleagues from the Korea Coast Guard pay their respects at the funeral altar for the late Lee Jae-seok at a funeral hall in Dong District, Incheon, on Sept. 12. [YONHAP]

The Korea Coast Guard denied any cover-up, saying it had provided the family with all available evidence, including CCTV footage, radio recordings and drone video.

“The allegation that the station chief and the Coast Guard chief ordered a cover-up is groundless,” the agency said.

Lee, aged 34, went missing early on Friday while rescuing a man in his 70s stranded in a mudflat and was found dead six hours later.

He gave the victim his life jacket and gloves and stayed behind alone to ensure the man’s safety. The two-person team principle was not followed, and Lee had reportedly radioed for backup before the accident.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]