Home > National > Social Affairs

Coast Guard seeks arrest warrant for captain of ferry that ran aground

Published: 23 Nov. 2025, 18:31

The first mate of the Queen Jenuvia II ferry, accused of grounding the ship off the coast of Shinan County, South Jeolla on Nov. 19, appears for questioning at the Gwangju District Court's Mokpo branch on Nov. 22. [NEWS1]

The Korea Coast Guard on Sunday requested an arrest warrant for the captain of the Queen Jenuvia II passenger ferry, which ran aground near Shinan County, South Jeolla, on Wednesday, after finding he had vacated the wheelhouse during a critical phase of navigation.

According to the Mokpo Coast Guard, the captain, a man in his 60s, is suspected of gross negligence resulting in injury and violating the Seafarers Act for failing to fulfill his command duties during passage through a narrow waterway. The Queen Jenuvia II ferry collided with an uninhabited island at 8:16 p.m. while navigating a narrow channel off Shinan, injuring 30 of the 267 passengers and crew onboard.

Investigators say the captain was off-duty and resting in his cabin adjacent to the wheelhouse at the time of the incident, only arriving at the helm after the ship had already collided. Under the Seafarers Act, a captain is required to be present in the wheelhouse when entering or leaving port, traversing narrow or high-risk waters, or in areas where ship collisions or groundings are frequent. The ferry’s own operational guidelines also define the narrow channel as a zone requiring “direct control by the captain.”

On Saturday, the Coast Guard arrested the first officer and a helmsman — both in their 40s — on charges of gross negligence leading to injury. They are accused of failing to alter course, allowing the vessel to crash into the island. Investigators say the first officer was distracted by his mobile phone and only noticed the ship had veered off course 13 seconds before impact, at which point he ordered the helmsman to change the rudder angle. The Coast Guard believes the first man relied on the autopilot system in an area that required manual navigation, missing the appropriate time for a course correction.

Authorities study the Queen Jenuvia II ferry at Samhak Dock in Mokpo, South Jeolla, on Nov. 20. [YONHAP]

The helmsman of the Queen Jenuvia II ferry, accused of grounding the ship off the coast of Shinan County, South Jeolla on Nov. 19, gets on a police car after attending his pretrial detention hearing at the Gwangju District Court's Mokpo branch on Nov. 22. [YONHAP]

The first man admitted that he "briefly looked at Naver on my phone just before the accident. I don’t remember exactly, but it was maybe once or twice," to reporters before his pretrial detention hearing at Gwangju District Court’s Mokpo branch on Saturday. He added, “I’m sorry for causing harm to so many people, and especially to the pregnant woman who was hurt.”

The helmsman declined to answer media questions on his way into court. He reportedly told investigators, “It was the first officer’s job to monitor the front, and when I received the rudder order, the island was already right in front of us,” denying responsibility.

Queen Jenuvia II ferry is docked at Samhak Dock in Mokpo, South Jeolla, on Nov. 20. [YONHAP]

Authorities study the Queen Jenuvia II ferry at the Samhak Dock in Mokpo, South Jeolla, on Nov. 20. [NEWS1]

On Sunday, the Coast Guard also released preliminary findings from a joint inspection conducted on Thursday with the Korean Register and National Forensic Service, concluding that the vessel had no structural defects.

The Queen Jenuvia II had departed Jeju with 267 passengers and crew on board, bound for Mokpo, when it ran aground on an uninhabited island in waters off Shinan. All aboard were rescued within three hours and 10 minutes of the incident being reported, though 30 passengers suffered minor injuries.

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 CHOI KYEONG-HO, HWANG HEE-GYU [[email protected]]