Seoul: A Thai national and her South Korean employer have been referred to the prosecution on suspicions of illegally bringing multiple Thais to South Korea and extorting their wages, immigration officials said Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the 37-year-old Thai broker, who is married to a South Korean, is suspected of colluding with a travel agency operator in Thailand. They allegedly posted false advertisements offering jobs in South Korea for an immigration fee of 120,000 Thai Baht (US$3,745), as reported by the Seoul Immigration Office.
The broker facilitated the illegal entry of six Thai nationals into South Korea, arranging their employment at a chicken farm operated by the 43-year-old Korean employer. To evade immigration control, the broker reportedly traveled to Thailand with her husband and children on three occasions, returning each time with the workers disguised as family members.
Once in South Korea, the broker confiscated the workers' passports to ensure compensation for facilitating their illegal entry and housed them in lodgings equipped with surveillance cameras.
In a separate scheme, the broker is accused of arranging illegal employment for 10 undocumented Thai nationals between July 2025 and January 2026, receiving their wages into her account as commission fees.
The broker and her employer have been referred to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office for further investigation and possible charges of violating the Immigration Control Act.