Marine accidents rise as gov't keeps stricter record after Sewol sinking

The number of marine accidents reported to the government rose sharply in the past few years, government data showed Friday, following stricter record keeping in the wake of the 2014 sinking of the ferry Sewol.

The number of accidents at sea was tallied at 8,404 between 2012 and 2016, according to the figures by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

The total breaks down to 1,573 in 2012, 1,093 in 2013, 1,330 in 2014, 2,101 in 2015 and 2,307 in 2016.

As many as 908 people were reported to have been killed or gone missing during the five-year period, with the total breaking down to 122 in 2012, 101 in 2013, 467 in 2014, 100 in 2015 and 118 in 2016. The spike in numbers for 2014 include the over 300 dead and missing from the Sewol sinking.

The amount of damage from marine accidents was estimated at 2.4 trillion won (US$2.1 billion) during the period, excluding the damage from the sinking of the Sewol.

By year, the damage was 542 billion won in 2012, 460 billion won in 2013, 490 billion won in 2014, 496 billion won in 2015 and 439 billion won in 2016.