South Korea arrests 11 Vietnamese hiding in truck leaving Jeju Island

Jeju Coast Guard announced on January 16 that they had arrested 11 Vietnamese suspected of trying to enter the country illegally and one South Korean man for smuggling people, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

The Vietnamese and Koreans were arrested on the evening of January 15 on charges of violating a special immigration law aimed at developing tourism on Jeju Island, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily newspaper.

A beach on Jeju Island, South Korea in May 2020

The Vietnamese nationals, including seven men and four women, were arrested while hiding in a five-ton cargo truck at the sixth pier of Jeju Port, trying to board a ship scheduled to sail to Wando County in South Jeolla Province of South Korea, according to the Jeju Coast Guard.

They are suspected of entering Jeju under the visa waiver program but intending to sneak to other parts of South Korea to work. The Jeju Coast Guard is investigating their exact route of entry into Jeju and related details.

Jeju operates a visa-waiver program that allows foreign nationals to stay on the island for up to 30 days without a visa, in an effort to boost tourism. However, individuals entering under this system are only allowed to stay in Jeju and are not allowed to travel to other parts of South Korea, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/han-quoc-bat-11-nguoi-viet-tron-trong-xe-tai-roi-dao-jeju-185250116163434031.htm