Vietnamese "tourists" try to find illegal employment in South Korea

By Hoang Viet, Bui Hong Nhung April 26, 2016 | 01:35 am PT

After spending up to $12,000 for so-called trips to Jeju Island, 59 Vietnamese tourists tried to avoid authorities and search for work in South Korea.

Police in Hanoi recently brought charges against Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, 38, Nguyen Trong Tuong, 34, and Le Thi Tuyet Hanh, 35, for arranging for Vietnamese people to live illegally in South Korea.

On January 1, 155 guests boarded an airplane in Hanoi headed for Jeju Island. After gaining entry to South Korea, 59 of them fled. Since then, 34 have been identified by South Korean authorities and deported.

Police said that 33 admitted to paying from $8,500 to $12,000 to be taken to Jeju posing as visitors with a guarantee they would be helped to find jobs there.

After an initial investigation, police found that Tam, Huong and Hanh were tied up in the case. The scale of the investigation is being expanded.