Authorities arrest two more Chinese nationals who disappeared from Incheon festival in September
Published: 21 Oct. 2025, 14:34
Updated: 21 Oct. 2025, 16:44
![In this file photo, Chinese tourists entering Korea under the visa-free group tour program arrive at Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal in Yeonsu District, Incheon, on Oct. 13. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/21/dfc4072c-664d-4444-b604-33136cde9a4a.jpg)
In this file photo, Chinese tourists entering Korea under the visa-free group tour program arrive at Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal in Yeonsu District, Incheon, on Oct. 13. [YONHAP]
Authorities arrested two additional Chinese nationals who entered Korea without visas through Incheon Port last month and later went missing, the Seoul Immigration Office said Tuesday.
The office’s special investigation unit said it detained a 29-year-old and a 53-year-old on charges of violating the Immigration Control Act. Officials are investigating how they fled and whether brokers helped them.
One individual was arrested Monday at a bus terminal in Suncheon, South Jeolla, while the other was taken into custody Tuesday morning at a job center in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong.
With these arrests, investigators have now secured three of the six Chinese tourists who entered the country through Incheon Port and went missing after leaving a chicken and beer event venue in Incheon. On Friday, another individual turned themselves in voluntarily after being contacted by authorities.
The six Chinese nationals entered Korea under the cruise visa waiver program, which allows group tourists to stay for up to three days, rather than through the new visa-free entry system for Chinese group travelers that began on Sept. 29.
Before the new policy took effect, Chinese tourists traveling in groups of three or more through authorized agencies or cruise lines were already allowed to enter the country without visas.
Ban Jae-yeol, head of the Seoul Immigration Office, said authorities will ensure the remaining three individuals are apprehended quickly.
“We will make sure cases of abuse of the visa-free system are rooted out,” Ban said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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