Seoul, August 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
South Korea and the United States on Monday launched a joint underwater excavation mission off South Korea’s eastern coast to locate the wreckage of US military aircraft that crashed during the 1950-53 Korean War, the South Korean Defence Ministry announced.
The operation, scheduled to continue until August 28, is being carried out in the coastal waters of Gangneung and Yangyang in Gangwon Province. It is a collaborative effort between South Korea’s Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification and the US Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).
Around 40 personnel are participating in the mission, including members of the South Korean Navy’s First Fleet, the Air Force’s 18th Fighter Wing, and American underwater planning specialists and divers.
The first phase of the operation is focused on waters off Yangyang, approximately 215 kilometres east of Seoul, where search teams are attempting to locate the wreckage of a US F4U Corsair fighter aircraft. Historical records indicate the aircraft crashed during an escort mission for a damaged attack aircraft in February 1952, resulting in the death of its pilot.
The mission will then shift to the Gangneung coast, where teams will search for two Curtiss C-46 Commando military transport aircraft that crashed in separate incidents in October and November 1952. The first accident left 17 personnel missing, while the second claimed two lives and left seven others unaccounted for.
The joint team will employ advanced underwater detection systems, maritime unmanned platforms and remote sensing technology to identify potential wreckage sites. Divers will be deployed for closer inspection once target locations are confirmed.
South Korea and the United States have been conducting joint recovery efforts for personnel missing from the Korean War since signing a bilateral agreement on such operations in 2011.
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