A Korean man was arrested on charges of helping illegal immigrants get jobs on Jeju Island, amid the influx of Yemeni refugees to the southern province.

The man surnamed Park, 62, was apprehended for allegedly recruiting illegal immigrants on June 18, according to the Korea Coast Guard on Monday.

The coast guard said Park had posted job placement advertisements on Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat and QQ since October 2017, recruiting foreigners for ship owners at Jeju and Hallim Port. 

Park allegedly received a commission fee of 300,000 won ($260) per person. Three foreigners were deported and their employer, 57, was booked for illegal employment. The broker could be sentenced to up to three years in prison or fined up to 30 million won for violating Article 111 and 168 of the Seafarers Act.

“Cases of illegally hiring foreign crewmen are increasing due to the lack of crewmen recently,” said the coast guard. “Embarking these illegal foreigners without a visa as crewmen is easy, making it difficult to search and arrest in case of violent crimes or national security violations since their personal information has not been checked.”

The coast guard added, “Illegal crewmen cannot report any accident that occurs to members aboard the ship, making it difficult to rescue them in case of an accident due to the lack of personal information.”

By Chyung Eun-ju (ejchyung@heraldcorp.com)