6 days ago
Two South Koreans killed in Bali paragliding accident
July 24, 2025
BALI – Two South Korean tourists were killed in a paragliding accident at Tanah Barak Beach in Badung Regency, Bali, last week, marking the latest in a string of fatal incidents involving foreign visitors in Indonesia.
Denpasar Police spokesperson Adj. Comr. Ketut Sukadi said the victims, identified as Seojin Han, 43 and Jinah Hwang, 41, died after failing to make emergency landings in the sea.
'They were licensed paragliding pilots and experienced professionals. Both had undergone medical examinations and were declared fit to fly before departing South Korea for Bali,' Sukadi said on Tuesday.
According to Ketut, Han and Hwang, who were a married couple, arrived in Indonesia on July 11 with seven other South Korean nationals for a paragliding tour. The pair had reportedly traveled to several countries in the past to pursue their passion for the sport.
While in Bali, the group had been paragliding at the Panda Paragliding Site in South Kuta since July 12.
'All of them were flying solo, without instructors or tandem partners and they were using their own equipment brought directly from Korea,' Ketut said.
At around 11:30 a.m. on July 17, the group began paragliding at the Panda Paragliding Site as usual. Han, Hwang and another South Korean national identified as SK were the first three members of the group to take off that day.
However, just 10 minutes into their flight, the wind suddenly shifted and weakened, forcing them to attempt emergency landings.
SK managed to land safely on the beach, while Han and Hwang landed in the water, approximately four meters from shore.
'They panicked and failed to remove their harness cocoon before hitting the water, which caused them to drown,' Ketut said.
A harness cocoon is a type of paragliding seat that encloses the pilot's legs, providing better aerodynamics and increased comfort during flight. Shaped like a sleeping bag, it wraps around the lower body to help retain warmth and reduce air resistance.
Ketut explained that Han and Hwang landed face down in the water, unable to release their harness cocoons and becoming entangled in the parachute lines.
Local residents and a fellow paraglider at the Panda Paragliding Site rescued the victims approximately 15 minutes later. They were rushed to Surya Husada Hospital, where they were pronounced dead on arrival.
Authorities said they are investigating whether negligence played a role in the accident. They plan to question the victims' fellow paragliders, instructors and employees at the Panda Paragliding Site.
The victims' families have refused to allow autopsies and have decided to cremate the bodies in Bali. The ashes will then be taken back to South Korea.
The incident occurred just weeks after a Saudi Arabian tourist went missing while swimming off Batu Belig Beach in Badung Regency on July 8. Despite a week-long search and rescue operation by authorities, he remains missing to this day.
Last month, Juliana De Souza Pereira Marins, a 27-year-old Brazilian hiker, tragically died after falling into a 600-meter-deep ravine in Mount Rinjani National Park on nearby Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara.
Marins fell at Cemara Nunggal, a narrow, treacherous section near the summit, on June 21. However, rescue efforts were severely hampered by poor weather and difficult terrain. Rescuers were only able to reach her on the night of June 24, when they found that she had already passed away.
The slow rescue operation for Marins has drawn international scrutiny, particularly from Brazilian citizens, putting Indonesia's tourism safety under the spotlight.
