JAKARTA - South Korean and Japanese coast guards continued a joint search on Saturday for an Indonesian crewman who went missing near Dokdo, the easternmost islets claimed by South Korea, after he fell from a fishing vessel a day earlier. 

South Korea’s state-supported agency Yonhap reported that the man, believed to be in his 20s, slipped into the sea around 11:15 AM on Friday, March 27, about 194 to 195 kilometers northeast of Dokdo, prompting a coordinated rescue operation in waters between the two countries

The search involved a 5,000-ton South Korean vessel, a 1,250-ton Japanese Coast Guard ship, a civilian fishing boat, and aircraft from both sides, with officials saying the operation resumed after sunrise and that the two countries were sharing information in real time. 

“We are mobilizing all available forces and doing our utmost in the search,” said Kim Hwan-gyeong, head of the Donghae Coast Guard, as quoted by the South Korean agency. “As Korea and Japan are cooperating together, we will do our best until the very end to save even a single life.”

A 2023 study by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) found that Indonesian fishers were recruited to South Korea through either government-to-government schemes or private manning agencies, with varying levels of oversight. 

The report shows that two out of five respondents learned about job opportunities through friends, relatives or brokers, while information from official government channels was described as minimal. 

Recruitment costs ranged widely from Rp5.2 million to as high as Rp243 million, particularly under private schemes. As a result, four out of five respondents said they took on loans, often from banks, family members or informal sources, to finance their migration, sometimes with added interest.

No official statement from Indonesian authorities has been reported as of publication. The case adds to recent incidents involving Indonesian migrant crew in Northeast Asian waters, including a 2024 fishing vessel sinking off Jeju that left several Indonesian workers initially unaccounted for during rescue operations.