22 Chinese apprehended in attempted illegal entry

Korean coast guard inspects a boat that was used on an illegal entry to Korea that was found at Taean County, South Chungcheong, in May 2020. Some six Chinese were apprehended in attempting to illegally enter the country. [YONHAP]

All 22 Chinese individuals attempting to smuggle 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 the final destination and if they had some help within the country."
 
While 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 over to the Boryeong police.
 
The boat that the 22 Chinese were on evaded arrest.  
 
The coastlines along South Chungcheong have gained a reputation as a common route for individuals attempting to smuggle in or out of Korea from China, as the distance from Shandong, China, is only 350 kilometers.  
 
In April and May 2020, there were three separate attempts by 21 Chinese individuals to smuggle into the country on small motorboats.  
 
Some were expelled to China, while others faced legal repercussions.
 
The motive of the illegal entry was reported to have been finding 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 that were caught by the Korean coast guard while attempting to enter the country illegally by sea since 2020.  
 
According to the Korean coast guard in 2020 there were 42 people that were arrested for illegal entry.  
 
Those figure 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]