Ferry captain was absent from bridge on 1,000 trips through channel where recent grounding occurred in South Korea, investigators say

The captain of a passenger vessel that ran aground in South Korea's South Jeolla province last week had been absent from his ship's bridge on more than 1,000 trips through the narrow waters where the incident occurred, an investigation by the Korea Coast Guard has revealed.

The captain of the Ro-Pax ferry Queen Jenuvia II was found to have been absent from the bridge on over 1,000 trips made by the vessel through the accident zone from February 28, 2024, until last Wednesday, November 19, when the ferry ran aground on an uninhabited island near Jangsan during a scheduled voyage between Jeju and Mokpo.