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All 6 Chinese nationals who landed in Jeju illegally apprehended

Published: 12 Sep. 2025, 17:31

An unidentified rubber boat found on the shore near a haenyeo (women divers) changing station in Yongsu-ri, Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju, on Sept. 8. [JOONGANG ILBO]

All six Chinese nationals who illegally entered Korea by rubber boat through Jeju Island have been apprehended. Among them was a man who was caught on the fifth day after the initial report and was in charge of operating the boat.

The Jeju Coast Guard arrested the man at around 1 p.m. on Friday on suspicion of violating immigration laws. He had been hiding in a studio apartment in Cheongju.

During the investigation, authorities confirmed that he had moved to another region, located his whereabouts and apprehended him. After hiding inside the truck of a Korean accomplice, he arrived on the mainland by ferry from Jeju Port and fled to Cheongju. The accomplice was also arrested at Jeju Port, according to the Coast Guard.

The other four Chinese men and one Chinese woman who entered the country with the man arrested on Friday had already been apprehended in Jeju. Two Chinese women residing in Korea without permission who aided the group in Jeju were also arrested. Of the five Chinese men who were caught, three have been taken into custody.

During police questioning, the group stated, “We paid brokers several million won each to enter Korea illegally in order to make money.”

They added, “We departed from Nantong City, China, on Sunday afternoon and arrived early Monday morning before going our separate ways.” Nantong is approximately 460 kilometers (285.8 miles) in a straight line from Jeju Island.

An unidentified rubber boat found on the shore near a haenyeo (women divers) changing station in Yongsu-ri, Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju, on Sept. 8. [JOONGANG ILBO]

At around 7:56 a.m. on Monday, a report came in that an “unidentified rubber boat” had been found on the coast of Yongsu-ri in Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju City, according to the Coast Guard. A local resident discovered the boat while exercising, and another nearby villager reported it.

No passengers were found onboard at the time of the report. Inside the boat were six life vests, four raincoats, multiple fuel containers, bread and emergency rations labeled in Chinese and presumed to be the military type, two mounted fishing rods and a 90-horsepower electric outboard motor made by Honda.

The fuel included nine 20-liter (5.28-gallon) containers, one 55-liter container, one 25-liter container and one other container. A mid-to-long-range GPS navigation device was also installed beside the central control console.

A joint investigation by the Coast Guard, police and military authorities found no evidence of espionage or national security threats. Now that all entrants have been apprehended, the Coast Guard plans to conduct a full investigation into the circumstances of their entry.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI CHOONG-IL [[email protected]]