Search and recovery for the remains of a South Korean official who was shot and killed by North Korean troops near a western border island last week continues for the eighth day.

According to the Korea Coast Guard on Monday, a search operation is under way to find the remains and any objects belonging to the 47-year-old fisheries official, who went missing a week ago in waters near Yeonpyeong Island.

The Coast Guard and the Navy have deployed 45 ships and six aircraft to search an area that is 18-point-five kilometers long and 96 kilometers wide, as the official's remains and belongings may drift south of the Northern Limit Line(NLL).

Regarding the possibility of the official having attempted to defect to the North, the Coast Guard are conducting digital forensics on computers the official used while on duty.

Authorities are also in the process of reconfirming whether the official was wearing a life jacket at the time of his disappearance.