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Missing submarine worker located, authorities struggle with rescue

Published: 09 Apr. 2026, 18:48

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' shipyard in Ulsan on April 9 after a fire broke out in its submarine. [YONHAP]

Fire authorities found the worker who went missing in a fire that broke out on a Navy submarine.

The KSS-II ROKS Hong Beom-do caught fire at 1:58 p.m. inside the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' (HHI) shipyard in Ulsan, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of Seoul.

The fire forced about 40 people to evacuate, but a worker from an HD HHI subcontractor went missing.

Fire authorities got the blaze fully under control about two hours after it began, after deploying some 30 pieces of equipment.

The authorities later identified the location of the missing worker inside the vessel, but were struggling to reach the scene due to the narrow entry path. The worker's condition was not immediately known.

The worker was reportedly cleaning the submarine from the inside when the fire broke out.

The submarine returned to the shipyard in June of last year for hull and equipment maintenance, which was scheduled to finish this October.

BY CHO YONG-JUN, YONHAP [[email protected]]