The government of South Korea's Jeju Self-Governing Province will confer the title of "honorary citizen of Jeju Island" to four members of the China Coast Guard (CCG) who rescued Jeju fishermen in distress on May 13 this year, Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The title recognizes their participation in the rescue operation and their efforts to save the distressed crew, the report said.

The four members, Fang Liang, Guo Peng, Wu Zhenwei, and Li Zirui are assigned to the CCG vessel 2307.

According to the report, at about 6:11 pm on May 13, the South Korean Coast Guard received notice that a 29-ton longline fishing vessel had taken on water and sunk 563 kilometers southwest of Seogwipo, Jeju.

The South Korean Coast Guard immediately dispatched aircraft and patrol boats and requested assistance from China. 

According to China's Maritime Safety Administration (MSA), the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) of East China's Zhejiang Province received the distress call. The center launched an emergency response, dispatching the patrol vessel Haixun 0713 from Ningbo MSA, coordinating with the Donghaijiu 131, a rescue ship, and mobilizing commercial and fishing vessels to assist in the rescue.

By 6:24 pm, two passing ships had reached the scene. One quickly established communication with the distressed vessel and instructed the crew to prepare for evacuation. Shortly thereafter, a rescue boat was deployed. At 7:10 pm, a CCG ship arrived and launched a fast rescue craft to evacuate the crew.

At around 8:20 pm that evening, the CCG vessel rescued all eight people on board, including the South Korean captain and seven Indonesian crew members, with no casualties reported, Yonhap said.

Previously, Governor of South Korea's Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Oh Young-hun visited the Consulate General of China in Jeju on May 14 specifically to express gratitude to Consul General Chen Jianjun for the CCG's rescue of a Jeju fishing boat.

Oh sincerely thanked the CCG for their timely assistance, saying that this act fully demonstrated the spirit of mutual support and neighborly friendship between South Korea and China, according to the Consulate General.

Chen said that China and South Korea are inseparable neighbors with a long history of friendly interactions. The governments of both countries, especially their coast guard agencies, have made outstanding contributions to safeguarding the lives and property of each other's fishermen, reflecting the traditional friendship between the two peoples. China highly appreciates these efforts.

The Jeju regional maritime police agency of South Korea also commended the Zhejiang MRCC for its prompt and effective response in this accident in a letter.

The letter, dated on May 17, expressed "heartfelt gratitude" for the Zhejiang MRCC's swift coordination and rescue efforts when the South Korean fishing vessel began taking on water. The Jeju regional maritime police agency expresses its highest respect for the Zhejiang MRCC's longstanding cooperation, the letter read, noting that it extends sincere thanks once again for the rescue operation, and hopes to maintain close communication and cooperation in the future.