Government control over illegal foreign workers has started on Nov. 17. Organizations of the government, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Labor, Small and Medium Business Administration, and National Police Agency has joined to form 50 control squads 합동으로 which will start enforcing regulations onto the remaining 100,000 or so illegal aliens who has refused to voluntarily leave Korea. 

The government has excluded manufacturing industries from the list of control subjects because of the manpower problems due to the secession and decamps of the illegal workers. 

Primary control starts on illegal sojourner who have worked for over 4 years, those who smuggled themselves into the country, have forged passports and also those who work as carousers. 

An official from the Ministry of Justice exclaimed, “An emergency direction to exclude minor manufacturers from supervision has been instructed, due to the appeals from manufacturers about damages in business because foreign workers are fleeing from work without leave.” 

The government has divided the nation into 50 areas and a squad composed of 15 police force and investigation personnel from the Immigration Bureau will start supervision in each area till late June next year. Around the clock supervision is expected to start on illegal workers working in the service industry sometime during the noon of Nov. 17. 

Foreigners exposed by the joint surveillance are charged with a 20 million Won fine and will be deported by the Immigration Bureau. 
Prosecuted aliens will receive disadvantages such as being not allowed to enter Korea for the next 5 years. 

(Rest omitted) 

Source: Maeil Business Newspaper, November 17, 2003