The Ministry of National Defense apologized Monday for an accident over the weekend in which a naval boat capsized while being used for personal purposes, injuring five people.
The 15 people on board, five military officers and their family members, were rescued on Saturday after the 3-ton fast-sailing naval operational boat overturned in seas off Taean, a coastal town about 150 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
The boat overturned after hitting an underwater rock while sailing through a foggy area, according to ministry officials.
Questions were immediately raised after the incident as to why the boat was used for non-military purposes. The incident also occurred when the military was revamping itself after failing to prevent the deadly North Korean torpedo attack against a South Korean warship in March.
"I sincerely apologize to people over the incident as it happened after the Cheonan incident," ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said in a press briefing.
"The ministry will take a stern measure, depending on the results of its investigation," Won told reporters.