The diplomatic note also asked the agencies to ensure the safety of rescued Vietnamese residents and hold funeral observances for one sailor who was confirmed dead.

Earlier, the RoK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade officially confirmed that 11 out of 42 sailors on board the trawler No. 1 Insung, which sank in Antarctic waters on the morning of December 13, are Vietnamese, of whom, one has been confirmed dead, three missing and seven rescued.

On the same day, answering reporters’ questions on protection measures for Vietnamese citizens, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga said the ministry already asked RoK and New Zealand to promptly provide reasons for the sinking, identify the dead person and closely coordinate with the Vietnamese side in protecting citizens and supporting people in distress.

The Overseas Labour Management Department and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs asked companies which despatched crews to direct executives to study the case and coordinate with the Foreign Ministry and partners to ensure the rights and interests of the Vietnamese sailors, she said.

There were a total of 42 crew members on the 614-DWT vessel, including eight RoK people, eight Chinese, 11 Vietnamese, 11 Indonesians, three Filipinos and one Russian.

Five of crew members were already confirmed dead and 17 others missing. The remaining 20 people have been rescued by another RoK fishing vessel operating nearby.