<Anchor> About



70 Thais who came to Jeju on a group tour earlier this month lost contact and disappeared.

These days, as the visa-free entry into Jeju is made again 


, there are concerns that the number of foreigners who enter through Jeju and try to work illegally will increase. 



Reporter Park Chan-geun visited the site.



<Reporter>



A deodeok field in Jeju City.



In the scorching sun, about ten workers are weaving weeds.



Among these are Chinese workers.



[Unregistered Foreign Agent: I am Chinese (I came to Korea) and it has been two years.

(You came in for tourism without a visa?) That's right.]



[Farmer: When it expires, you have to leave before then, but you don't.]



It is difficult to find work in rural areas or construction sites in Jeju, so a foreigner who found a job through a mediator without a work visa. can be found easily.



[Unregistered Foreign Agents: There will be 300 to 400 people like me on Jeju Island, or even 500 people.] The



explanations of other agencies are similar.



[Other unregistered foreign agent agency: There are no registered foreigners.

Being able to save people regardless of whether they are from China or anything else is just a 'thank you'.]



In particular, as the visa-free entry to Jeju, which was suspended due to Corona, resumed, there are cases of people entering for group tours and then leaving.



In June, four Thai tourists who entered Jeju and tried to board a ferry bound for Mokpo were caught, and



[shipping official: (Thais) said they would go somewhere else for a while, but disappeared…

It seems to happen little by little after the corona is over.]



From the 2nd to the 9th, 76 of the 437 Thais who entered for a group tour for 3 days 2 nights have lost contact.



Jeju is exempted from electronic travel permits that check passport information, occupation, and criminal history in advance, making it easier for foreigners who have difficulty obtaining travel permits to enter the country.



Currently, the number of undocumented foreigners on Jeju Island is estimated to be around 9,000.



The Ministry of Justice plans to review the application of the electronic travel permit to Jeju and to respond by setting up a visa-free escapee arrest team at the Jeju Immigration Office.



(Video coverage: Kim Tae-hoon, Kang Hyo-seop JIBS, Video editing: Ha Seong-won, CG: Kim Hong-sik)