Man accused of hiring foreign bar hostesses without work permits

A man has been booked without physical detention for allegedly hiring seven foreign women without valid work visas to work at his bar in South Korea, police said Monday.

According to the Pohang Nambu Police Station, the 46-year-old suspect is under investigation for alleged violations of Korea’s Immigration Control Act. He is accused of illegally hiring women from countries such as Thailand and Russia since September.

(Yonhap)

In a joint crackdown on illegal hiring practices involving foreign workers, the Pohang police and the Daegu Immigration Office raided the bar Oct. 19.

The women reportedly entered the country without visas through visa waiver programs. Foreign nationals from Thailand and Russia are permitted to enter South Korea without visas and can stay for up to 90 and 60 days, respectively. As of Feb. 21, 107 countries had visa waiver agreements with Korea.

Police said the case had been referred to the Korea Immigration Service.

By Catherine Chung (cec82@heraldcorp.com)