March 17, 2023
BANGKOK – “Recently, news has been spread in some media channels about the blacklisting of Thai people who come from certain regions by the Korean government,” said a statement posted on the embassy’s Facebook page headed “Beware of fake news”.
“We would like to inform you that the news is not true,” said the statement.
It also advised people to be cautious about rumours and check other sources to find out if they were true.
The statement was issued in response to a report that South Korean immigration had blacklisted people from Khon Kaen, Si Sa Ket, Udon Thani and Yasothon.
Citing information from “a tour operator”, the report said people from these provinces would be detained and face strict immigration procedures if they entered South Korea.
People from the four provinces had been blacklisted because they were likely to overstay in South Korea as illegal workers, referred to as “phi noi” (little ghosts), the report added.
More than 100,000 Thais are currently working illegally in South Korea, according to the Thai government.
The South Korean government offered them an amnesty last year, declaring they would not have to pay the 30-million-won (about 800,000 baht) penalty if they returned to Thailand by February 28 this year.