Two Chinese individuals attempting to enter the country illegally by sailing for 20 hours in a rubber boat were captured by the Coast Guard.
The Incheon Coast Guard said on the 12th that they had urgently arrested a 30-year-old man, A, and a 50-year-old woman, B, both Chinese nationals, for violating immigration laws and handed them over to the Incheon Immigration and Foreigners Affairs Office. A and others are suspected of attempting to enter the country illegally after departing from Longqing City, Shandong Province, China, by rubber boat around 6 p.m. on the 7th.
On the following day, the 8th, around 2:14 p.m., the Coast Guard deployed patrol boats after receiving a report from a fishing boat captain about a "suspicious vessel" about 41 km southeast of Socheongdo Island in Ongjin County, Incheon, and detained A and others. They were arrested for illegal stay in Korea and were forcibly deported last November to December but are believed to have committed the act to receive unpaid wages and housing deposits.
They purchased a rubber boat equipped with a 30-horsepower engine in China and set out with safety equipment such as life jackets and a compass, but were found to have drifted due to worsening weather and sea fog. Investigation revealed that they sailed for 20 hours covering a distance of 234 km to enter the country illegally.
During the Coast Guard's investigation, A and others stated, "We set out to go to the Chungnam Seosan area where we used to work, but lost direction due to worsening weather." A Coast Guard official noted, "A and B are presumed to be cohabiting rather than formally married, and we plan to clarify their specific relationship through further investigation," adding, "We will provide a reward to the reporting fishing boat captain."