Officer Lee Tae Young, a First Mate from the Republic of Korea, has been awarded the prestigious IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea in recognition of his heroic actions that saved 12 fellow crew members from the fishing vessel Geum Seong No. 135 when it sank in November 2024.
The award was presented during a special ceremony honoring seafarers, held today in London during the margins of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Assembly (24 November – 3 December 2025).
IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez applauded Mr. Lee “for the extraordinary leadership, courage and selflessness” he displayed, adding that the safety of seafarers remains paramount at IMO. Ms. Lydia Ferrad of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), which nominated Mr. Lee, accepted the award on his behalf.
In a statement to IMO ahead of the awards, Mr. Lee recounted the harrowing events of 8 November 2024, when the Geum Seong No. 135 rapidly listed and capsized.
“In that instant, my body moved instinctively, my actions preceding my thoughts. I acted on the belief, ingrained from my days as a scuba diving instructor, that cool-headedness saves lives.”
Despite having no prior search and rescue training, Mr. Lee immediately sprang into action, throwing life rings and helping crew members to safety in extremely difficult conditions. While some managed to hang on to the vessel’s propeller—the only part remaining above water—others were swept away by strong currents and waves.
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Mr. Lee successfully rescued 12 of the 27 crew members on board.
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He was the last person to leave the sinking vessel.
“I prioritized my colleagues over my own safety. It wasn’t so much a choice I made, but rather a feeling of family, having lived together on the sea. That feeling remains unchanged to this day,” he stated.
Reflecting on the near-fatal incident, he added, “At every moment I wanted to give up, my family’s faces came to mind. And my colleagues before me looked at me with eyes that said, ‘I want to live.’ That gaze made my body move again.”
While grateful for the recognition, Mr. Lee stressed that seafarer safety is a shared responsibility among shipowners and governments: “We must never forget that a single lapse in vigilance can take a life.”
