South Korea asks the North to help search for missing sailor

South Korea asked North Korea on Sunday to help search for and return a missing navy sailor believed to have drifted across the de facto inter-Korean maritime border.

The request follows reports that the sailor went missing on Sunday morning while a vessel was on patrol off South Korea’s eastern coast near the Northern Limit Line.

“A sailor aboard a South Korean navy vessel conducting a security mission in the East Sea went missing on the morning of July 12 and is believed to have drifted north of the NLL,” Seoul’s Unification Ministry said in a brief statement, 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 request North Korea’s cooperation, on humanitarian grounds, in the search and the individual’s return,” it added.

The sailor holds the rank of seaman apprentice, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back also instructed officials to “make every effort to rescue the missing serviceman as quickly and safely as possible“, the Defense Ministry said in a statement, without providing further details.

The appeal comes as President Lee Jae Myung has sought to ease tensions with the nuclear-armed North by pursuing dialogue and confidence-building measures after years of strained relations.

Lee has taken a dovish approach to North Korea since taking office in June 2025 in stark contrast to his predecessor’s hawkish policy.

Pyongyang, however, has not responded to Seoul’s repeated overtures while deepening ties with Moscow. It recently hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping in its capital for a summit.

Official reports of the summit made no mention of denuclearisation.