Search Continues for 16 Missing Sailors
By Lee Jin-woo
Staff Reporter
China's delayed reporting of a sunken South Korean freighter off the Chinese coast has angered Koreans, while the search for 16 missing crew members continued for a third consecutive day Monday.
The South Korean government, meanwhile, remained cautious over the accident to avoid stirring a diplomatic dispute with China.
The accident has sparked suspicions that the Chinese authorities, as well as the Chinese ship, belatedly informed their South Korean counterparts of the collision, to cover up the cause of the accident.
China gave official notification of the accident to the South Korean Embassy in Beijing at 12:50 a.m. Sunday, nearly 21 hours after the accident took place and some 14 hours after it first learned of the incident, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The belated report also sparked speculation that the Chinese ship left the scene of the accident without trying to rescue the victims.
Beijing also refused to allow South Korean rescue ships to enter its waters, according to ministry officials.
Chinese rescue workers have not been able to find bodies of the missing sailors, but found two life rafts and other belongings from the South Korean vessel, maritime police in Incheon said.
``The investigation and search by the Chinese authorities are still ongoing,'' a ministry official said on condition of anonymity. ``We expect to discuss the matter with the Chinese after the investigation is completed.''
He hinted that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, not the foreign ministry, is likely to take charge of the issue.
``As the accident took place at sea, we're discussing whether it will be better for the Maritime Ministry to handle this matter with its Chinese counterpart,'' he said.
On Saturday, the South Korean vessel Golden Rose sank after colliding with the Chinese container ship Jinsheng.
The missing sailors included seven South Koreans, eight Myanmarese and one Indonesian, according to the foreign ministry. The Chinese ship made it safely to its destination, Dalian, China, shortly after the accident.
The official said families of the South Korean sailors will fly to Yantai, Shandong Province, today.