Immigration checks to be toughened

By Park Si-soo

Staff reporter

The Immigration Service will tighten checks on people entering the country ahead of the G-20 summit in Seoul this November.

The Ministry of Justice said Monday it had launched a task force to oversee immigration control at international airports and ports around the country.

The tighter control is aimed at stopping some foreigners from interfering with the meeting of the leaders of the world's top 20 economies.

To that extent, a special team covering Seoul ― the main venue for the meeting ― will also be launched, the ministry said.

``The role of the team is to prevent foreigners who intend to interfere with the international event from entering the country,'' the ministry said in a statement.

An immigration official familiar with the issue said the government will pay ``particular attention to people from countries notorious for supporting terrorism such as Iran, Syria, Cuba, Sudan and Pakistan.''

The move came after two Pakistani men suspected of having have links to the Taliban were arrested in South Korea in February.

``Korea is no longer a terrorism-free state,'' the ministry said. ``We have seen an increase in the number of foreigners caught attempting to pass through immigration with forged passports. We will make all-out efforts to guard against every possible threat to the G-20 meeting.''

Nearly 2,700 attempts to enter the country with false passports were reported last year ― China (675) and Thailand (651) accounted for nearly half of the cases.

A joint crackdown on illegal foreign workers nationwide by immigration officers and police will continue for about one month starting early in June, the ministry said.

``The government will make special efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and crimes by foreign residents, especially in neighborhoods with a high foreign population,'' an immigration officer said.

All foreign travelers entering Korea, excluding diplomats and those travelling on official duty, will have their fingerprints scanned and faces photographed during the immigration process beginning as early as August.

Apart from these measures, the government has launched an incentive program aimed at encouraging foreign workers who have overstayed their visas to leave the country ``voluntarily.''

Under the program that will continue to September 31, those who exit will be exempt from fines and will not be regulated on a possible revisit to the country. The ministry is aiming to reduce the number of illegal sojourners here ― estimated at 180,000 ― before the summit. The ministry did not elaborate on a target number for the campaign.

출입국 심사 강화

G-20정상회담을 앞두고 출입국 심사가 강화된다. 법무부는 월요일 이귀남 장관이 참석한 가운데 전국 출입국관리 기관장 및 해외주재관 회의를 개회하고 “G-20정상회의 출입국 안전대책단”출범 현판식을 갔었다.

이에 따라 법무부는 오는 8월말까지 범법외국인 지문확인 시스템을 주요 공항에 구축하고 서울 세종로 출장소에 “특별단속팀”을 운영하는 등 국내 체류 외국인에 대한 예방적 관리를 강화해 나갈 계획이다.