Chinese couple arrested for illegal immigration

SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Yonhap) -- Two Chinese nationals were arrested on Wednesday on charges of violating South Korea's immigration control law as they illegally sneaked into the country last week.

Their apprehension was made hours after the Korea Immigration Service earlier in the day requested an arrest warrant from the Incheon District Court over their illegal entry into South Korea after breaking into the security control at the nation's largest airport.

The two, husband and wife, arrived at Incheon International Airport on Thursday and went out of the airport without being noticed by the immigration officials or checked by the airport's security control system.

They were apprehended by the immigration authorities in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, hours after the Incheon airport announced that two Chinese nationals had broken through security systems and fled the airport.

Still, there are many questions on how they made their way out without being checked out by the tight security control system until they were arrested on charges of violating the Immigration Control Law.

Local authorities said they would investigate whether the two were planning to stay in Korea long term by earning money as illegal immigrants.

According to the airport, they were believed to have sneaked out around 1:25 a.m. on Thursday via the third passenger terminal near the tax-free zone after customs authorities there had left work.

They exited through one of the airport's six passenger terminals. Only one operates around the clock, while the rest are closed between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Investigators believe the two waited for customs officials to leave. The airport discovered that the couple had gone missing nearly 20 hours after they fled when they did not show up for their flight transfer to Beijing on Thursday night.
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