Smuggled immigrants came in through brokers: reports

A Chinese couple who were caught four days after illegally entering South Korea through Incheon International Airport, came in through a broker who promised them jobs here, news reports said Wednesday.

The married couple, both aged 31 were apprehended on Jan. 25 in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, after slipping through four different stages of security system at Korea’s largest airport.

The Justice Ministry’s Immigration Service said that the two of Korean descent paid a total of 120,000 yuan ($18,000) to a broker who promised to find them jobs here.

“The broker appears to have given the two the mobile phone number of a person who would arrange them jobs, and told them to come to Cheonan,” an immigration official was quoted as telling local news. The authorities are planning to seek to arrest the couple on charges of violating the Immigration Control Law.

The couple reportedly left Beijing and arrived at Incheon International Airport after transiting from Jeju and Narita, Japan, at 7:31 p.m. on Jan. 20 as transit passengers. Their next flight was scheduled 25 hours later at 8:17 p.m. the next day. They reportedly told the authorities they had planned to seek a tourism visa as transit travelers, enter the country and hide out.

The authorities said that the couple were stopped while trying to pass through immigration, stayed inside the airport and slipped through security in the early morning. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)