At least five persons died, four Chinese sailors went missing and four others were rescued when a South Korean fishing vessel sank in the Antarctic Ocean on Monday.
The accident took place at around 4.30 am local time on Monday (0100 IST), Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement.
There are a total of 42 crew members on the 614-tonne "No 1 In Sung", including eight South Koreans, eight Chinese, 11 Vietnamese, 11 Indonesians, three Filipinos and one Russian, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported here.
So far, five of crew members have been confirmed dead and 17 others are missing. The remaining 20 people were rescued by another South Korean fishing vessel operating nearby, the ministry said.
The Chinese embassy in Seoul has asked South Korea to make full efforts to rescue the missing Chinese sailors and ensure health of the rescued Chinese sailors.
South Korea has asked New Zealand for help in rescue operations, but strong wind in the area hindered rescue efforts. The cause of the accident remains to be determined.