[2026 Parliamentary Audit] 516 Coast Guard Officers Die or Are Injured... 4 of 6 Deaths Occur During Rescue Operations

Ruling Party's Moon Daerim: "Improve Working Conditions for High-Risk Personnel"

Over the past five years, 516 Korea Coast Guard officers have died or been injured while performing their duties. Four of the six officers who died were killed during rescue operations, prompting calls to strengthen safety measures for personnel conducting rescues in the field.

A “Public-Private Joint Maritime Drill with the Public” is underway on the 13th in the area around Yeongilman Port in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, simulating a complex maritime disaster involving incidents such as passenger ship accidents caused by a tsunami. Provided by the Regional Maritime Police Agency. Yonhap News.

According to data submitted by the Korea Coast Guard to Moon Daerim, a Democratic Party of Korea member of the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, a total of 516 Coast Guard officers died or were injured in the line of duty from 2022 through September 2026. Of these, six died and 510 were injured.

By type of incident, 70 officers were killed or injured during rescue operations: four died and 66 were injured. Another 20 were injured while responding to Chinese fishing vessels, 30 during inspections, searches, and enforcement operations, and 66 during training. Other causes, including routine patrols, marine pollution response, equipment inspections, and injuries or illnesses during work or commutes, accounted for two deaths and 328 injuries.

The officers who died during rescue operations included three in 2022 and one in 2025. Moon said that, as dangers at rescue sites persist, the Coast Guard needs to increase staffing and safety equipment and improve working conditions for personnel assigned to high-risk duties.

According to the Coast Guard’s proposed 2027 budget, the budget for public safety and field activities support is 49.749 billion won, unchanged from this year. At the Korea Coast Guard’s parliamentary audit on October 19, Moon plans to review the field rescue system and safety measures and call for stronger support for officers who have died or been injured in the line of duty and their bereaved families.

“The state must also take responsibility for the safety of Coast Guard officers who protect the lives of the public,” Moon said. “We must increase the number of personnel conducting rescues in the field and provide them with more safety equipment, improve working conditions for those in high-risk jobs, and strengthen support for officers who have died or been injured in the line of duty and their bereaved families.”

The parliamentary audit is also expected to address the establishment of the Jeju Eastern Coast Guard Station to fill gaps in rescue and patrol coverage in the eastern waters off Jeju. After calling for its establishment during the 2024 parliamentary audit, Moon plans this time to examine the reasons for the delay and the follow-up measures.

“A research project on the need to establish a Coast Guard station and models for improving its efficiency also confirmed the need for the Jeju Eastern Coast Guard Station,” Moon said. “The Korea Coast Guard should actively consult with relevant ministries, including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, to add it to the organizational structure as soon as possible. Until it is established, specialized rescue personnel and equipment should be stationed in the Seongsan area on a permanent basis to minimize gaps in maritime safety.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.