Coast Guard Confirms 'Taean's Third Suspicious Boat' as Illegal Immigration Vessel... Estimated 5 Onboard

On the 13th, at the Daejeon District Court Seosan Branch in Seosan, Chungnam, a Chinese national involved in boat smuggling entered the courtroom for a warrant hearing on charges of violating the Immigration Control Act (pre-trial detention hearing). The man is reported by the Taean Coast Guard to have entered the country by landing on the Taean beach in Chungnam after traveling by boat from China. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] The Chinese-made engine rubber boat discovered on the breakwater of Mado, Geunheung-myeon, Taean-gun, Chungnam on the 4th was confirmed to have been used for illegal entry by Chinese nationals.

The Taean Coast Guard announced on the 13th, "We have apprehended 3 out of the 5 people who illegally entered the country using the boat."

According to the Coast Guard, the gray rubber boat found near the Mado breakwater in Taean on the 4th contained 2 life jackets, 3 one-liter containers of engine oil, tools including nippers, and 2 red 30-liter fuel tanks.

The boat is reported to resemble a black rubber boat used for illegal entry by Chinese nationals, which was found on April 20 at Illipo Beach, Uihang-ri, Sowon-myeon, following a resident's report.

The Coast Guard estimated that a total of 5 people were on board the boat.

The Coast Guard also apprehended 2 of the 3 remaining suspects from the April boat group (5 people) and 1 of the 4 remaining suspects from the May boat group (8 people).

The 5 Chinese nationals launched the rubber boat from Weihai (威海) Port, Shandong Province, China, around 5 p.m. on April 18, crossed the West Sea, and landed at Illipo Beach, Taean, around 10 a.m. the next day to enter the country illegally.

Another group of 8 Chinese nationals boarded a 1.5-ton leisure boat at Weihai Port around 9 p.m. on the 20th of last month, sailed, and disembarked on the rocky shore of Uihang breakwater, Taean, at 11:23 a.m. the following day.

The route of the June boat is currently under investigation.

As of this day, 6 out of the 18 suspects involved in illegal entry remain missing.

Considering that the purpose of the Chinese nationals' illegal entry is domestic employment, the Coast Guard is focusing on locating the remaining suspects, especially in farms and factories densely populated with foreign workers.

A Coast Guard official said, "We are conducting extensive tracking with the cooperation of related agencies such as the National Police Agency."

The military authorities have also strengthened their readiness against illegal entry by reviewing information-sharing situations with related agencies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.