Twenty-two Chinese nationals caught after illegal entry attempt

Social Affairs

Published: 03 Oct. 2023, 11:48 Updated: 03 Oct. 2023, 15:18

Twenty-two Chinese nationals caught after illegal entry attempt

The Boryeong coast guard apprehends Chinese nationals that are accused of trying to illegally attempting to enter the country in Boryeong, South Chungcheong, on Tuesday. The Chinese nationals tried to swim to shore on a life jacket. [KOREA COAST GUARD]

All 22 Chinese nationals attempting to smuggle themselves into Korea through Boryeong, South Chungcheong, were apprehended on Tuesday.

Initially, 21 Chinese nationals were taken into custody immediately after they were detected, but one individual managed to flee to Ansan in Gyeonggi using a taxi.

The unidentified escapee was eventually tracked down by the Korean police.

The operation involved the coordinated efforts of the Korean coast guard, Boryeong police and the military.

According to the coast guard and the Boryeong police, the 32nd Infantry Division, responsible for coastal surveillance, spotted an unidentified ship located 2.3 kilometers (1.4 miles) offshore southwest of Sinheuk-dong, Boryeong, at 1:53 a.m.

The Korean military alerted the coast guard after observing people on the ship jumping into the water.

Approximately 500 personnel from the 32nd Infantry Division were deployed to the scene, where they, along with the Korean coast guard, apprehended the Chinese individuals attempting to enter the country illegally.

A joint investigation team, comprising members of the military, intelligence agency and coast guard, began questioning the Chinese detainees at 9 a.m.

The investigation is focused on determining the purpose of their illegal entry and the route they had traveled.

“All of those that had been taken into custody are believed to be Chinese nationals and left from China,” said a Boryeong police official. “We are still conducting an investigation on their final destination and if they had help from inside Korea.”

Though most of the detainees are reported to be in their 40s, one individual, a 57-year-old Chinese man, managed to escape authorities upon arrival.

However, the police had tracked him down and arrested him at a residence in Wongok-dong, Danwon District, Ansan, at 8:47 a.m.

The individual was then handed to the Boryeong police.

The boat that took the 22 individuals to Korea evaded capture.

The coastline along South Chungcheong has gained a reputation as a common route for individuals attempting to smuggle themselves into or out of Korea as Shandong, China, is only 350 kilometers away.

In April and May 2020, there were three separate attempts by 21 Chinese individuals to smuggle into the country on small motorboats.

Some were deported to China, while others faced legal repercussions.

The individuals in the latest bust were reportedly coming to Korea to find work at Korean farms. The individuals paid brokers 1.85 million won ($1,400) for each person.

In April, a Chinese man, believed to be a human rights activist, was caught trying to enter the country illegally, traveling approximately 300 kilometers on a jet ski and navigating the sea using binoculars and a compass.

He was taken into custody in Incheon.

The latest incident represents the largest number of foreigners caught by the Korean coast guard while attempting to enter the country illegally by sea since 2020.

According to the Korean coast guard, 42 people were arrested while trying to smuggle themselves into the country in 2020.

Those figures significantly decreased in 2021 and 2022 due to tightened border controls related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]