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December 4, 2024 | 06:51 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A total of 38 Vietnamese tourists disappeared without a trace on Jeju Island, South Korea. The news circulated shortly before South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced a military emergency on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, midnight.
The missing tourists are part of a group of 90 people who landed on Jeju Island on November 14. They departed from Nha Trang, Vietnam, on a chartered VietJet Air plane, according to the Jeju Tourism Organization. The group was scheduled to return on November 17, but when it was time to board the plane, 38 of them did not appear.
In addition to them, all other members of the tourist group returned to Vietnam as scheduled. The disappearance of the 38 tourists has prompted authorities to scramble to find out what happened. Investigators are now examining surveillance camera footage to track the movements of the missing individuals and determine if there were any unusual activities.
"We are currently analyzing CCTV footage to find out where the Vietnamese tourists disappeared," said an official from the Jeju Immigration and Foreign Affairs Office, as quoted from The Independent.
The news of the tourists' disappearance has raised concerns amidst the politically turbulent situation in South Korea. However, South Korean immigration officials explained that based on Jeju's visa-free policy, tourists can legally stay on the island for up to 30 days. This means that the missing tourists have until December 14 to legally stay there.
The visa-free program is part of the Special Law on the Establishment of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, which allows people from 64 countries to stay on the island for up to 30 days without a visa. Tourists are not allowed to travel to other areas in South Korea, such as Seoul or Busan, unless they have a valid visa for the mainland.
This is not the first time tourists have been reported missing on the island. Many tourists take advantage of Jeju's visa-free program to stay on the island illegally. In 2022, at least 55 Thai tourists who arrived on Jeju Island with tour groups went missing during the holiday. They were suspected of taking up illegal work in various areas of the country.
Similar to Tourist Incident in Taiwan
The disappearance of these tourists is similar to a case that occurred in December 2018 in Taiwan. In that incident, four groups of Vietnamese tourists, totaling 153 people, arrived in Taiwan through the port city of Kaohsiung. Shortly after their arrival, they disappeared, leaving only their tour guides behind.
Police at the time reported that some of the missing tourists were seen leaving hotels carrying their belongings and boarding shuttle buses and taxis.
Taiwan authorities suspected human trafficking. They intensively tracked the missing visitors. By the end of that year, December 31, 14 people had been arrested, while nine had surrendered.
Specialty of Jeju Island
Jeju, known for its tranquil atmosphere and advanced tourism industry, has never faced anything like this before. The island, often dubbed as the "Island of the Gods," is not just a vacation spot, but a rich destination. From the towering Hallasan Mountain to the UNESCO-listed volcanic landscapes, Jeju attracts millions of visitors every year. In addition to its natural beauty, the island is rich in cultural traditions, such as the heritage of Haenyeo female divers, brave women who have sustainably harvested seafood from its waters for centuries.
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