His body was discovered around 8:50 a.m. the previous day by a sanitation worker on a beach in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, after apparently being swept ashore.
It took more than 12 hours to confirm his identity through digital forensic analysis of a cellphone and smartwatch found with the body, along with fingerprint analysis. He was later confirmed to be the tugboat's engineer.
The 286-ton tugboat TNS Catcher, carrying eight crew members including two Indonesians, capsized last Wednesday in waters about 9 kilometers southeast of the Oryukdo islets while towing a container ship that had been disabled by an engine failure.
One Indonesian crew member was rescued by a cargo ship that was passing nearby at the time, while a South Korean crew member was found unconscious and later died.
With the recovery of the engineer, five crew members now remain missing, as search operations continue for more than a week.
AJP Takeaways
- A missing crew member from the 286-ton tugboat TNS Catcher was found dead on a beach in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province on Sept. 9, 2026, after apparently being swept ashore.
- The Korea Coast Guard identified the deceased as the TNS Catcher's engineer after more than 12 hours of forensic work involving a cellphone, smartwatch and fingerprint analysis.
- The TNS Catcher capsized off Busan on Sept. 2, 2026, with eight crew members aboard; one was rescued, one later died, and five remain missing as search operations continue.
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