The International Affairs Ministry is definitely warning Thais visiting South Korea towards overstaying in the country to be illegal job seekers referred to as “little ghosts”.
Natapanu Nopakun, deputy spokesman for your ministry, said in a statement yesterday that the number of Thai unlawful workers in South Korea has achieved nearly 140, 1000.
The statement was issued following incidents of South Korean migration officers denying several Thais entry to the country after suspecting they may be illegally looking for employment.
In one incident on Jeju Island, regarding 455 kilometres through the capital Seoul, fifty five Thais disappeared after flying to South Korea with a tour group. They are suspected to be illegal job seekers.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency upon Sunday, 55 away from 280 Thai tourists who arrived at the resort island on the three-day tour bundle did not return to Thailand on Aug 5 with the others.
Immigration officers on the island were attempting to locate them, Yonhap said.
South Korean authorities denied entry in order to 417 out of 697 Thais visiting Jeju from Aug 2 to Aug 5, including 112 upon Aug 2, after they were suspected of being job seekers, not vacationers, it said.
Mr Natapanu said to prevent this kind of incidents from taking place again, Thais should not overstay their 90-day tourist visas.
Anyone who violates the rules will either have to pay a fine or be permanently banned from entering South Korea, he said.
Thailänder nationals who work illegally in Southern Korea will be detained and deported back to Thailand within 1 week, he said.
According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, since June, there were 181, 783 Thais living in South Korea, 139, 245 of who were illegal employees while 532 had been prisoners who got violated the law.
The Regal Thai Embassy in Seoul said illegal workers fully vaccinated against Covid-19 that have overstayed their visas will not be blacklisted when they leave South Korea before Oct thirty-one.