Lee orders swift rescue efforts after ferry accident
Mokpo Coast Guard officers work to assist passengers aboard a ferry that ran aground near Jangsan Island in Sinan, South Jeolla Province, Wednesday. Courtesy of Mokpo Coast Guard
President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday ordered swift efforts to rescue passengers of a ferry that ran aground off Korea's southwestern coast, the presidential office said.
Lee was briefed on the ferry accident during his visit to the United Arab Emirates, shortly after the Coast Guard said the ferry carrying 267 people ran aground near Sinan's Jangsan Island in South Jeolla Province.
"Lee immediately instructed the relevant authorities to respond swiftly to prevent any loss of life and to release real-time updates on the rescue operations so that the public can be reassured," the office said in a press notice.