'Visa free' Jeju sparks fears over rising illegal alien crime

By Kang Aa-young

Jeju Island's visa system has been blamed for a surge in illegal aliens and a crime rise.

This has prompted calls to change the system that allows visitors to stay 30 days without a visa.

In the latest serious crime, Jeju Seobu police have arrested five suspects, Hwang, 42, Song, 42, Jang, 42, and two others on charges of murdering a Chinese man Pi, 35, on Thursday. Hwang and the others are accused of breaking into Pi's villa in Yeondong, Jeju, around 12:13 a.m. and killing him.

In April, two illegal Chinese people were arrested for murdering other illegal Chinese aliens.

Critics say the visa system is a "gate for illegal aliens." It was introduced in 2002 to promote tourism to the island. But illegal foreign workers have abused the system.

According to the Jeju Immigration Office of the Ministry of Justice, the number of illegal migrants has rapidly increased. The figure was 992 in 2012, 1,285 in 2013, 2,154 in 2014, 4,913 in 2015 and 7,786 in 2016. Illegal alien crime also has increased. Jeju Provincial Police Agency figures show 16 crimes in 2015, 54 in 2016 and 67 in 2017. By the end of May, 36 illegal aliens were arrested.

The Jeju Citizens' Solidarity Association for Refugee Measures has urged an improvement to the system. "Illegal immigrants are soaring and the system is being abused also as a window for illegal refugees," it said.

A petition demanding improvement or abolition of the no-visa system has been posted on the bulletin board of Cheong Wa Dae's petition page since last year.

Meanwhile, the Jeju Immigration Office said it plans to establish an “immigrant special investigation team” to crack down on illegal alien brokers. Jeju police are also working with the immigration office in hunting down illegal immigrants.