More Chinese abuse Jeju visa waiver program

By Lee Hyo-sik

A growing number of Chinese are visiting Korea’s southern resort island of Jeju on a tourist visa waiver program in a bid to enter the country illegally and get a job, according to immigration authorities, Monday.

Chinese tourists are required to obtain a visa from Korea’s overseas diplomatic missions prior to entering the country. But in Feb. 2008 the visa was waivered so Chinese and other nationals from 189 countries across the globe could come to Jeju Island visa-free and stay for as long as 30 days as part of the island’s efforts to attract more tourists.

An increasing number of Chinese seeking to work here illegally for larger sums of money have been taking advantage of Jeju’s loose immigration rules, creating a daunting task for immigration authorities there.

According to the Jeju Immigration Office, the number of Chinese tourists coming to Jeju stood at 406,000 in 2010, up from 258,400 in 2009 and 143,000 in 2006.

With surging visitors from the world’s fastest growing economy, the number of Chinese who disappeared soared to 822 last year from 346 in 2009 and 15 in 2006.

For instance, a group of 44 Chinese tourists (30 male and 14 female) who came to Jeju on a cruise ship in October deserted the ship in an attempt to enter Korea to work illegally. Eleven were later apprehended by the police and deported to China, but the remaining 33 are still unaccounted for.

The police said they appeared to have obtained bogus resident registration cards from a broker and left for Korea’s mainland via a ferry or a shipping boat.

Those caught by the police said they gave an immigration broker between 5 million won and 10 million per person in China, prior to the trip, to illegally enter Korea through Jeju Island.

Since the incident, the Jeju Immigration Office has strengthened inspections of incoming Chinese visitors at the island’s airports and sea ports, denying some of them entry.

Despite such stepped-up efforts, the office seems to be ill-equipped because there are only 15 immigration officials stationed at Jeju International Airport and 3 at Jeju Port.

``Apart from a rising number of Chinese visitors to Jeju Island, more Chinese seeking to work illegally in Korea have chosen Jeju as a passage to the country’s mainland because of its visa waiver program for foreign tourists. Additionally, there are many immigration brokers operating here to help the illegal Chinese move to the mainland via ferries or fishing boats,’’ an official at the Jeju Immigration Office, who does not want to be identified, told The Korea Times.

In cooperation with the police and the National Intelligence Service, he said the immigration office has been cracking down on immigration brokers. ``We will launch an even larger-scale clampdown this year on illegal immigration middlemen and others involved in transferring Chinese to the mainland from Jeju.

The Chinese government has also taken the issue seriously and actively cooperates with us to prevent the Chinese from abusing Jeju’s lax immigration rules.’’

The official then said the immigration office, the Ministry of Justice and other related government bodies have begun reviewing the island’s visa waiver program for foreign tourists. ``We have not yet decided what to do with the scheme. We need it to attract more foreign visitors. But on the other hand, more foreigners are taking advantage of it to illegally enter the country. We are trying to find a way to achieve both goals,’’ he said.

중국인 무사증 관광객 제주도 통해 불법 입국 시도 급증

이민당국에 따르면 갈수록 많은 중국인들이 제주도의 무사증 입국제도를 통해 국내 불법입국을 시도하고 있다.

현재 제주도를 제외한 서울 및 다른 지역을 방문코자하는 중국인 관광객은 대한민국 대사관이나 영사관을 통해서 비자를 받아야 입국할 수 있다.

2008년 2월부터는 제주도에 한하여 중국인 등 189개국 관광객은 무사증으로 방문할 수 있고 최장 30일까지 머물 수 있다.

이처럼 관대한 이민제도는 제주도가 보다 많은 외국인 관광객을 유치 일환으로 도입했으나 갈수록 제주에도 중국인 관광객들이 국내 불법취업을 위해 사라지고 있어 이민당국이 심각한 고민에 빠졌다