SEOUL – Nine people were missing on Sunday after a fishing boat capsized off the south-west coast of South Korea, the authorities said, with President Yoon Suk-yeol urging stepped-up search and rescue efforts.

The fishing boat overturned just before midnight on Saturday South Korean time, with three crew members picked up by rescuers, the coast guard said.

Video released by the coast guard shows a rescue boat approaching the overturned fishing vessel, with the three crew members in the water near the red hull.

Coast guard ships were scouring the area for nine others, and Mr Yoon has ordered other naval and civil resources to help, his office said in a statement.

In late January, at least eight people were reported dead after a cargo ship sank between South Korea and Japan, Chinese officials said. REUTERS