South Korea, US launch joint underwater survey for Korean War aircraft wreckage
Synopsis
More than 70 years after the Korean War, South Korea and the US have launched a joint underwater operation to recover wreckage of three American aircraft — including an F4U Corsair and two C-46 Commandos — lost off Gangwon Province in 1952, with up to 26 personnel still unaccounted for from those crashes alone.
Key Takeaways
South Korea and the US launched a joint underwater survey on 4 August 2025 , running through 28 August .
The operation targets wreckage of a US F4U Corsair (crashed February 1952 , one pilot killed) and two Curtiss C-46 Commando transports lost in October and November 1952 .
The two C-46 crashes left a combined 17 people missing and 2 dead, 7 missing respectively.
Around 40 personnel from the South Korean Navy, Air Force, and US DPAA are deployed, using underwater detectors and maritime unmanned systems.
The joint recovery programme dates to a bilateral agreement signed in 2011 .
South Korea and the United States on Monday, 4 August 2025, launched a joint underwater survey operation off the country's eastern coast to locate wreckage of US military aircraft lost during the 1950–53 Korean War. Seoul's defence ministry confirmed the operation, which is scheduled to run through 28 August.
Operation Area and Participating Agencies
The survey is being conducted in the waters off Gangneung and Yangyang in Gangwon Province, approximately 170–215 kilometres east of Seoul. The operation involves South Korea's Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification and the US Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), with around 40 personnel deployed in total.
The team includes members of the South Korean Navy's First Fleet, the Air Force's 18th Fighter Wing, and US underwater planners and divers. Advanced underwater detector equipment and maritime unmanned systems will be used, with divers or remote sensing devices deployed upon locating potential remains.
Aircraft Being Searched
The search will begin off Yangyang County, targeting wreckage of a US F4U Corsair fighter aircraft that crashed in February 1952 while escorting a damaged US attack aircraft. Records indicate the crash claimed the life of one pilot.
The team will subsequently shift focus to the Gangneung area, where two Curtiss C-46 Commando military transport aircraft went down on separate occasions in October and November 1952. The first crash left 17 people missing; the second resulted in two deaths and seven more missing.
Decades of Joint Recovery Efforts
This operation builds on a formal bilateral agreement signed in 2011 between Seoul and Washington to jointly excavate and recover remains of US soldiers killed during the Korean War. The conflict, which ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, left thousands of service members unaccounted for.
Notably, underwater recovery operations of this kind are technically complex and relatively rare — locating aircraft wreckage in open coastal waters after more than seven decades requires specialised sonar mapping and precision diving, making this joint effort a significant logistical undertaking.
What Comes Next
The survey team will assess findings progressively through the end of August. Any confirmed wreckage will be subject to further recovery operations, with remains — if found — to be repatriated through established US military identification protocols. The outcome of this survey could inform future joint excavation priorities along South Korea's coastline.
Point of View
The Korean War's human accounting remains incomplete — and this survey is a reminder of how technically and diplomatically demanding that accounting is. The decision to search open coastal waters, rather than land sites, signals that the easier recoveries have already been attempted. With the armistice still standing in place of a peace treaty, joint MIA operations like this carry symbolic weight beyond the military: they are one of the few active threads of US-South Korea-North Korea history that requires sustained bilateral cooperation without political controversy. The real question is whether sonar and unmanned systems have advanced enough to make these operations viable at scale, or whether each survey remains a costly effort with uncertain returns.
NationPress
3 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the South Korea-US joint underwater survey launched in August 2025?
It is a joint military recovery operation launched on 4 August 2025 to locate wreckage of US aircraft lost during the 1950–53 Korean War in waters off Gangwon Province, South Korea. The survey runs through 28 August and involves around 40 personnel from both countries.
Which aircraft are being searched for in this operation?
The team is searching for three aircraft: a US F4U Corsair fighter that crashed in February 1952 off Yangyang County, and two Curtiss C-46 Commando transport aircraft that went down near Gangneung in October and November 1952. The crashes left a combined total of at least 24 people dead or missing.
Who is conducting the joint underwater survey?
The operation is a collaboration between South Korea's Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification and the US Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Personnel from the South Korean Navy's First Fleet and Air Force's 18th Fighter Wing are also participating alongside US divers and underwater planners.
How long have South Korea and the US been conducting joint MIA recovery operations?
The two countries signed a formal agreement to conduct joint excavations in 2011. Since then, they have carried out multiple operations to recover remains of US soldiers killed during the Korean War, which ended in an armistice in 1953 rather than a formal peace treaty.
What technology is being used in the underwater search?
The survey team is using underwater detector equipment and maritime unmanned systems to scan the seabed. Upon locating potential wreckage, divers or remote sensing devices will be deployed to inspect and document the site.
