This request was made following reports that a sailor went missing on Sunday morning while the ship was patrolling off the east coast of South Korea near the Northern Limit Line (NLL).
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“A sailor went missing on the morning of July 12 on a South Korean Navy ship conducting a security mission in the East Sea, believed to have strayed north of the NLL,” said a brief statement from South Korea’s unification ministry, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
“As the South Korean Navy is currently searching for the missing sailor, we humbly request North Korea’s cooperation in conducting the search and returning this person for humanitarian reasons,” it added.
The missing sailor holds the rank of junior sailor, news agency Yonhap reported.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back also instructed officials to “make every effort to rescue the missing soldier as quickly and safely as possible,” according to a Defense Ministry statement, which provided no further details.
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This appeal was made to President Lee Jae-myung to ease tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea.
Since the start of his term in June 2025, Lee Jae-myung has taken a more moderate approach to North Korea, which is completely opposite to his predecessor’s hardline policy.
Pyongyang, however, has not responded to repeated Seoul proposals and at the same time has deepened ties with Moscow. Recently, it held a summit in its capital with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Official statements about this summit did not mention denuclearization.
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