Seogwipo Coast Guard Conducts Inspection of Vulnerable Areas to Prevent Maritime Illegal Immigration

[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Jeongpil] Seogwipo Maritime Police Station (Chief Kim Jin-young) announced on the 12th that it conducted inspections of vulnerable areas within its jurisdiction to prevent international crimes such as maritime illegal immigration and visa-free illegal movement.

This inspection was carried out at about 30 major ports and harbors within the jurisdiction, from Seogwipo Port to Hado Port in Gujwa-eup, Jeju City (approximately 57 km), in preparation for the possibility of maritime illegal immigration exploiting the government’s directive to resume visa-free entry from the 1st of next month, along with the agricultural off-season (March to July).

During the inspection, suspicious vessels such as unidentified small boats along the coast were identified and marked with identification stickers. Posters and promotional materials including disinfectant wipes were distributed to local residents such as lodging businesses and restaurants, along with guidance on reporting procedures and the reward system (up to 10 million KRW).

Seogwipo Maritime Police plans to strengthen preventive activities against related crimes, anticipating that new and variant methods of illegal immigration using online communities and social networking services (SNS) will become prevalent.

A Seogwipo Maritime Police official stated, “We will further strengthen inspections and prevention to eradicate border intrusion crimes and establish order in stay,” and urged, “If you find suspicious vessels or people, please report immediately to the maritime police.”

Meanwhile, Seogwipo Maritime Police has uncovered a total of seven illegal immigration-related crimes over the past three years.

Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Jeongpil panax33@asiae.co.kr

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