Ethnic Koreans from China Vanish during a Visit to the U.S.

Ethnic Koreans from China, who visited the United States at the invitation of Culver City, disappeared during their stay. Their whereabouts have remain unconfirmed for almost four months.

A source at the U.S. State Department said Wednesday that 33 Korean-Chinese, who were invited to visit the United States from December 4-6 last year by the Sister Cities Committee of Culver City, have not returned to China as of March.

The ethnic Koreans from China were not the official delegation from Yanji, Culver's sister city. They reportedly paid $20,000 each to a Korean broker operating in the United States who promised he would find ways for them to stay legally in the States. After realizing a legal long-term sojourn would be impossible, however, they vanished after the official schedule ended.
Some of them are believed to have gone to New York, and others are reportedly working at paint and sewing factories or at construction sites in Los Angeles.

The source said, "The Korean-Chinese are from many walks of life, and their parents range from high-ranking officials to farmers." He added they were victims of a corrupt broker working between Yanji and Culver City who swindled them with false promises.

The Chinese consul-general in Los Angeles said investigations are currently underway to confirm their whereabouts.