38 Vietnamese tourists reported missing in South Korea’s Jeju island

The missing tourists were part of a group of around 90 tourists who arrived in Jeju on Nov 14. PHOTO: UNSPLASH via The Straits Times/Asia News Network

Thirty-eight Vietnamese tourists have been reported missing in South Korea’s Jeju resort island, in what the authorities suspect as a possible attempt at staying in the country illegally.

The missing tourists were part of a group of around 90 tourists who arrived in Jeju on Nov 14, reported news agency Yonhap, citing the Jeju Tourism Organization. They had flown in from Nha Trang on Vietjet Air.

The 38 disappeared during the final stop of their itinerary, and did not board their scheduled Nov 17 flight back to Vietnam.

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Under a visa waiver program, tourists from 64 countries, including Vietnam, can stay for up to 30 days on the island without a visa.

But they cannot travel to other parts of South Korea, such as Seoul or Busan, unless they have a valid visa for the mainland.

Yonhap said the Jeju immigration office is working to find the missing group.

“We are currently analyzing closed-circuit television to find out where the Vietnamese tourists disappeared,” an immigration official told Yonhap.

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“We plan to organize a Jeju visa-free fugitive arrest team to start a full-fledged arrest,” he said.

Yonhap said the missing tourists have until Dec 14 to leave Jeju. After that, they will be considered to be illegal residents in South Korea.

This is not the first time that tourists have been reported missing on the island.

In 2022, at least 55 Thai tourists who arrived in Jeju with a package tour group disappeared during their holiday. They were suspected of taking illegal jobs in various parts of South Korea.