At 8:17 PM on the 19th, the passenger ship Queen Genovia 2 ran aground south of Jokdo Island in Shinan, Jeonnam, and the Coast Guard is conducting rescue operations. Yonhap News

A large passenger ship carrying 267 passengers and crew ran aground in the waters off Shinan, Jeonnam, prompting a rescue operation by the Coast Guard.

According to Mokpo Coast Guard on the 19th, a report was received at approximately 8:17 PM that the 26,546-ton passenger ship Queen Genovia 2 had run aground in the sea near Jangsan Island, Jangseong-myeon, Shinan-gun, Jeonnam.

The Queen Genovia 2 was en route from Jeju to Mokpo with 246 passengers and 21 crew members on board.

The passenger ship reportedly grounded on Jokdo, an uninhabited island near Jangsan Island.

As of now, five individuals have sustained minor injuries due to the impact of the grounding, and there are no reports of other casualties such as falling into the sea.

A breach was discovered in the front part of the passenger ship, but no flooding damage has occurred to date.

The Coast Guard has dispatched patrol vessels and other assets to the scene to ensure the safety of the passengers and is in the process of transporting them to the Mokpo Coast Guard's dedicated pier using two ships and one coastal rescue boat.

President Lee Jae-myung, who is on a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), instructed that "rescue efforts be promptly undertaken to prevent any casualties, and that the status of the rescue operations be disclosed in real-time to reassure the public."

Yonhap News