By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter

The Suwon Immigration Office said Tuesday it had been tracing the whereabouts of four foreigners who have been tested human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive.

Late last year, the office obtained names of 12 foreigners diagnosed with HIV positive, which could develop into Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), from the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

Of them, eight were either deported or hospitalized here for treatment, the office said. But the other four, allegedly overstaying their visas, remain outside the authorities' radar.

``Knowing where undocumented foreign nationals reside here is almost impossible,'' an immigration officier said. ``Countries with huge undocumented foreigners such as the United States have run special taskforces to trace questionable individuals. But currently it's almost impossible here for a lack of manpower.''

This is not an isolated case for the provincial office. According to Rep. Lee Ae-joo, as of last June, about 63 HIV positive non-Koreans remain unaccounted for nationwide, accounting for 8.7 percent of 720 foreigners who the health ministry estimates have been infected with the virus.

``We need pay an extra attention to this problem,'' Lee said.

For instance, a 36-year-old Uzbekistan woman, diagnosed HIV positive in 2006, was recently caught in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, where she worked as a barmaid overstaying her visa. It has not yet been confirmed whether she had sexual relations with others during the period of time, according to police.

``There are many health-checkup centers around the province. But they failed to draw attention from foreigners mostly busy making money,'' a Gyeonggi government official said.

KCDC provides AIDS check-up service to foreigners. ``It does not require check-up takers' personal information at all,'' a KCDC officer said. ``What is most worrisome is that some are not aware of their infection to the virus.''

It has widened its anti-AIDS campaign to those susceptible to the disease.

pss@koreatimes.co.kr