Overview
- President Lee Jae Myung ordered an external investigation and the Coast Guard’s six-member fact-finding team was put on standby as the case is transferred to an independent body.
- Local leaders were sidelined, with the Incheon Maritime Police Precinct chief placed on standby and reassigned, and the Yeongheung substation chief and duty team leader suspended.
- Commissioner General Kim Yong-jin tendered his resignation, citing responsibility and a need to uncover the truth about Sergeant Lee Jae-seok’s death.
- Drone video shows Lee survived in the water for at least 33 minutes after giving his life jacket to the stranded man, highlighting a window in which faster support might have reached him.
- Radio logs show Lee requested help before entering the water alone in breach of the two-officer rule, and records point to delayed support and late escalation to higher command.