① Chinese People Impersonating a Korean
Recently, a Chinese citizen attempting to travel to the U.S. using a counterfeit South Korean passport was apprehended in Panama, his transit point. On May 23, the Panama Immigration Office announced on their official social media, “A Chinese citizen who tried to change his travel route by presenting a fake South Korean passport has been sent back to his departure point, Quito, Ecuador.”
The Chinese man was caught while trying to change his destination to Miami, U.S., during a layover at Tocumen International Airport in Panama after purchasing a ticket to the Netherlands. The Panama Immigration Office released a video showing the man’s counterfeit passport alongside his Chinese passport. The video also captured two immigration officials escorting the man to the departure hall.
The Panama Immigration Office also arrested three other Chinese citizens who were trying to transit to Mexico with forged U.K. visas, in addition to the Chinese man who forged a South Korean passport. Tocumen Airport in Panama is one of the major aviation hubs in the Americas, serving 16 million passengers annually.
The number of counterfeit passport cases, which had quieted down during the COVID-19 pandemic, has rapidly increased since last year. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, over a million cases of South Korean passport losses have been recorded in the past decade.
Most lost cases were due to individual carelessness, followed by passport snatching and theft. The most common country for snatching was the Philippines, followed by France, the U.S., and Italy. The theft was common in France, Spain, the U.S., and Italy. This indicates that theft often occurs in major European tourist destinations.
② South Korean Passport Power Ranks 3rd in the World
The power of the South Korean passport ranks third in the world. The ‘Henley Passport Index’ by ‘Henley & Partners’ has been calculating since 2006 the number of countries that a passport holder of a specific country can visit without a visa, based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). According to this, South Korean passports can travel to 189 countries without a visa.
The prestige of South Korea is high worldwide, which increases the risk of theft. It is known to be traded at high prices abroad. As of September this year, South Korea has visa exemption agreements with 112 countries worldwide. Because of its high external credit, it can be a target for smuggling organizations. If stolen, there is a high possibility of being exploited for international crimes such as terrorism and drug smuggling.
In 2019, it was discovered that a website mainly used by Chinese Koreans was trading South Korean passports. More than 30 posts selling Korean passports were found on an online community. There were even posts openly asking to buy them. The sale posts listed details such as name, gender, age, validity period, and the number of available pages.
The sellers claimed they could trade via Telegram, which allows anonymous conversations and therefore carries less risk of information exposure. One seller even publicly shared their phone number, wanting a quick transaction. They also added that they were selling public certificates and IDs.
One seller said in a news interview, “I tried to sell to cover my living expenses. I didn’t know it was illegal because it’s my passport.” According to Article 16 of the Passport Act, it is illegal to use someone else’s passport. Transferring, renting, or facilitating these actions are also punishable.
③ Massive Entry into Australia as Koreans
There have been significant cases of South Korean passport forgery in the past. In particular, it was revealed that over 2,700 illegal Korean immigrants registered with the Australian government were ethnic Koreans possessing forged passports. Over 2,000 people entered Australia with forged passports. They bought Chinese passports and replaced the photos.
Ethnic Koreans, who find it challenging to enter Australia directly from China, first enter Southeast Asia and buy forged South Korean passports from brokers. Many become illegal immigrants in Australia when they cannot obtain permanent residency after entering the country with a forged passport.
In such cases, the possibility of secondary damage to the original passport holders increases. These individuals are unaware that they are registered as illegal immigrants in Australia. If they later enter Australia, they may face unexpected disadvantages. If the holders of forged passports commit crimes in Australia, they may face even more severe situations. Even after the transition to e-passports, disguised entries by Chinese people continue.
By. Seo Sung Min
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