Police nab human smuggling ring

The Seoul District Prosecution Office, in a disclosure through the chief prosecutor in charge of foreign affairs Park Sang-Ok, revealed that a cross-border human smuggling ring has been arrested and charged with illegal smuggling of foreigners into Korea. According to the disclosure, the smuggling ring set-up bogus foreign-capital investment companies, which disguised the foreign illegal entrants as foreign employees. Currently nine of the ring`s members, including Yeo Jae-hyun, have been placed in custody with two others given orders to appear in court. Two other known members are still at large and have been placed on the wanted list.

The ring leader, Yeo Jae-Hyun, along with three others, utilized three Chinese nationals to set-up a bogus investment company with an initial capital investment of 75 million won. After the required period, the initial investment was withdrawn and wired back abroad followed by a smuggling operation of 14 Korean-Chinese into Korea disguised as employees of the company.

According to the Prosecutor`s Office, the ring leader Yeo was well aware of the loophole in the law that allows the establishment of such a foreign-capital investment company with an initial capital of only 50 million won. The company can then apply for D-8 visas for its foreign employees.

Also, three other members of the ring including Lee Kyung-Ae established a ghost branch of a Chinese trading company in August 1997. Having registered with the proper offices, the ring smuggled in 11 Korean-Chinese disguised as employees of the company.