'Tourists’ held in South Korea to be deported

Ten of nineteen Chinese tourists who went missing after entering South Korea in December have been caught and will be deported back to China within two days, according to the Chinese embassy in Seoul.

"We have visited the 10 people and helped them contact their family members. After the South Korean immigration department finishes the investigation, they will return to China within two days," a staffer surnamed Wang at the embassy told the Global Times Thursday.

Wang, who supervised the case, said that the embassy contacted the South Korean side to protect their rights, and will provide them with essential services to help them return to China.

The 10 Chinese tourists were found working at a construction site in Gumi, a city in the western part of North Gyeongsang Province on January 15, the Beijing News reported Thursday.

"So far, there is no information on the other nine tourists. The South Korean side will inform us in a timely manner," Wang said.

According to Wang, after returning to China, the 10 are expected to help the Chinese public security department to search for the gang leaders, commonly known as snakeheads, behind the case.

"The tourists will not face further punishment after their return," Zhang Yongqiang, a lawyer with the Beijing Fada Law Firm, told the Global Times, but the snakeheads will face a maximum of three years in prison.

The 19 tourists left Dalian, a port city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, on December 28 and arrived in South Korea the next day.

They attracted public attention after reports said the tourists all disappeared the morning after staying at a hotel in Inchon for the night.

Chinese authorities attempted to identify their statuses when South Korean authorities began to search for them.