A fishing boat caught fire near Jeju Island, South Korea, causing one death and many missing, including six Vietnamese crew members.

Fires broke out on the 29-ton fishing boat at around 7 am09 on November 19, about 76 km west of a small island near Jeju Island. South Korean Coast Guard said crew members on board include 6 South Koreans and 6 Vietnamese.

Rescuers discovered one of the crew members located 7.4 km south of the scene. The Korean man, Kim, 60 years old, not wearing a life jacket, was transferred by helicopter to the island hospital but doctors confirmed his death.

11 people are still missing. Naval vessels and helicopters and civilian vessels are being mobilized to rescue the victims. However, strong winds and large waves made small rescue ships unable to reach the scene.

"The big fire made it difficult to get on board, even when naval ships were present," a Coast Guard official said. "Because of the possibility of crew members staying on board, we are expected to search inside the ship once the weather conditions improve."

President Moon Jae-in has directed the relevant authorities to mobilize all means for search and rescue, Green House spokesman Ko Min-jung said. He emphasized the need to speed up the search for victims due to the high seas and very cold seas.

The South Korean president also asked officials to inform the families of the victims, including Vietnamese crewmembers, about the rescue process as soon as possible.