South Korean media reported on Tuesday that 38 Vietnamese tourists who were recorded entering the country through Jeju Island last month have disappeared.

According to the Jeju Tourism Organization, the missing tourists are among a group of 90 that arrived in Jeju from Nha Trang City in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam on a charter flight on November 14.

They have been missing since the group's final stop before their flight back to Vietnam on November 17. The rest of the group boarded the return flight and returned safely.

Visitors to Jeju Island are legally allowed to stay without a visa for up to 30 days. Therefore, the missing tourists have not broken any regulations until December 14.

An official from the Jeju immigration office is looking into the whereabouts of the missing by checking surveillance cameras. They have confirmed a “plan to organize a Jeju visa-free fugitive arrest team to start a full-fledged arrest.”

The Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea told the Vietnam News Agency that it had been aware of the media reports. It is working closely with South Korean agencies to monitor the incident and is ready to cooperate.

The embassy also urged Vietnamese citizens to respect the laws, customs, and especially the entry and exit regulations of South Korea, advising them to preserve Vietnam's image and the strong relationship between the two countries.

This is not the first time Vietnamese people have been reported missing in South Korea.

In October 2022, about 100 Vietnamese citizens could not be contacted after they entered the country as tourists. It was revealed through an inspection by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism that 32 registered a tour through four travel companies in the city.

The inspectors proposed that the municipal government impose a fine of VND80-90 million (US$3,149-3,543) on each of the four firms and revoke their companies’ travel service business licenses for 12-18 months for letting customers illegally hide abroad.

However, the sanctions have yet to be applied due to legal obstacles.

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