Chinese couple to be deported after illegal entry

INCHEON, April 8 (Yonhap) -- Two Chinese nationals who were indicted on charges of illegally sneaking into South Korea through the country's largest airport received a suspended jail term and were order to be deported, court records showed Friday.

The Incheon District Court sentenced the husband and wife to a year and eight months in prison, respectively, on Thursday. The 31-year-old husband received a heavier punishment for orchestrating the scheme. Both the jail terms were suspended for two years.

The couple, who did not have entry visas, managed to sneak past immigration officials at Incheon International Airport in January. They were not detected by the airport's security control system.

They were later apprehended in Cheonan, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul, hours after the Incheon airport reported that two Chinese nationals had broken through security and fled the airport.

The court said its suspended sentence took into consideration that the defendants had no criminal records and that they have family to take care of back in China.

The two will be deported from South Korea once the ruling is confirmed.

scaaet@yna.co.kr
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