South Korea arrests 33 Vietnamese for 'drug party'

"33 people were arrested, including four people who'd gained South Korean citizenship and the rest being Vietnamese nationals illegally staying in the country. These citizens have been detained by the South Korean immigration authorities and deportation procedures are being processed," foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said at a press meet Thursday.

She was commenting on a July 3 announcement by the Busan immigration and police departments that 33 Vietnamese nationals had been arrested for alleged drug abuse and sale. The Busan officials said the detainees threw a "drug party" at a karaoke room in Changwon City's Masanhoewon District the same day.

Hang said the Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea has contacted the South Korean National Police Agency to verify the matter and request them to protect the rights of Vietnamese nationals.

Around 5.3 million Vietnamese live in over 130 countries and territories, 80 percent of them in are developed countries, according to the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese.

Over 25,000 Vietnamese citizens abroad have been deported since 2018 for violating local laws, the Ministry of Public Security said last month.