Changed His Name and Returned to Korea... Thai Man Under 'Permanent Entry Ban' Gets Suspended Sentence

Entered as a cruise tourist after changing his name
Went to Seoul after missing the ship's departure time

A Thai national who had been deported for overstaying and permanently banned from reentering South Korea was caught after changing his name, using a new passport to board a cruise ship and enter Busan Port, and then going into hiding.

The 77,000-ton cruise ship Dream, operated by Tianjin Dongfang International Cruise in Tianjin, China. The photo is not directly related to the article. Photo: Incheon Port Authority

According to legal sources on October 17, Judge Jang Giseok of the Busan District Court’s Criminal Division 7 sentenced the Thai man, who is in his 40s, to one year in prison, suspended for three years. He had been indicted on charges of violating the Immigration Act.

The man arrived at Busan Port aboard the cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas, which departed from Shanghai, China, on July 29. He disembarked after receiving tourist landing permission, which is available to cruise ship tourists. However, he did not return to the ship by 7 p.m. that day, the vessel’s departure time.

An investigation found that he left Busan for Seoul and stayed at an officetel in Dongdaemun-gu until July 31. The problem was that he had already been banned from entering South Korea. In April this year, he was deported after overstaying his authorized period of stay and was permanently barred from reentering the country.

He later changed his name and reentered South Korea as a cruise tourist using a newly issued passport. This happened just over three months after he was permanently banned from entering the country. Judge Jang found him guilty of violating the conditions of his tourist landing permission, as well as his visa status and period of stay.

Under the current Immigration Act, foreign passengers on international cruise ships that meet certain requirements may be granted permission to land for tourism for up to three days, upon application by the vessel operator. The system allows cruise passengers to enjoy brief sightseeing at ports of call. A similar incident occurred at Busan Port in January this year. At the time, two Chinese nationals who arrived at the port aboard a cruise ship from China disembarked after receiving tourist landing permission but failed to return to the vessel and disappeared. They were later apprehended by the Busan Immigration Office. As cruise passengers who receive tourist landing permission continue to go into hiding, some are calling for more immigration officers to be assigned in line with the increase in cruise ship arrivals.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.