It has been confirmed that a military boat sank in the West Sea off the Korean Peninsula Saturday after being misappropriated for non-operational use.
The Ministry of National Defense said Monday that the rigid-inflatable boat belonging to the Defense Intelligence Command capsized and sank Saturday in waters near Taean, South Chungcheong Province.
Five Korean military officers, including an Air Force squadron leader, were reportedly using the boat with family members and friends aboard ``for a sightseeing purpose'' as part of a high school reunion when the boat hit a rock, according to the ministry.
The National Maritime Police Agency (NMPA) rescued the 15 passengers and transferred them to nearby hospitals.
However, it has yet to come up with an explanation of how the accident happened and why the boat, mainly used for maneuvers such as river-crossing, was appropriated for private use.
Four of the five injured passengers have no serious problem ― the exception being one female who is in a coma.
The military prosecution is currently investigating the incident, the NMPA said. The whole area was fogbound when the sinking occurred, so at first it couldn't identify the victims and also had no idea it was a military boat.
Defense ministry officials said Monday that personnel found responsible will face ``severe reprimands.''
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