Korean agents booked for facilitating illegal entry of Philippine women

SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- Five Seoul men have been booked without detention for
inviting hundreds of Philippine women to South Korea on the E-6 entertainment
visa before forcing them to work in the sex and entertainment sector in violation
of the immigration law, police said Monday.

The five are accused of having brought in at least 300 Philippine women,
disguised as singers and dancers, on the E6 visa and handed them over to illicit
entertainment institutions nationwide after receiving one million won (US$836)
per person between last October to August, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
said.
Police also booked three bar owners, including a 51-year-old woman, without
detention for arranging prostitution for Philippine women staying here on the E6
visa, officials at the Seoul police agency said, adding a total of 17 Philippine
women were also booked on charge of selling sex.
They said the booked men and woman counterfeited job contract papers to get
recommendation letters for the issuance of E6 visa, which is only given to
professional foreign entertainment workers, such as singers and dancers.
"The recommendation letters were issued without proper examination of their
performance schedule, which reveals problems in the immigration system," a police
official said. "To prevent the recurrence of a similar scam, the system needs to
be improved."
Investigators said they are expanding the probe to examine whether there are more
foreign women who allegedly entered the country during the cited period.
ejkim@yna.