Two Chinese Women Held Captive at Jeju Pension; 20 Million Won Extorted, Two Accomplices Flee to China

【Financial News | Jeju — Jeong Yong-bok, Reporter】 Five Chinese men are under police investigation for allegedly assaulting and holding two Chinese women in their 20s captive at a private lodging facility in Seogwipo, Jeju Province, and taking their mobile phones, tablet PCs and approximately 20 million won. Three have been arrested, while the other two had already left for China before the victims escaped and reported the incident, prompting an international investigation.
According to the Seogwipo Police Station on the 28th, three men—two Chinese nationals in their 20s and one in his 30s—were arrested on suspicion of special robbery and joint confinement in violation of the Act on the Punishment of Violences, etc.
Police consider the two men in their 20s and 30s who left for China to be accomplices and are tracking their whereabouts through the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and other channels. The five men are believed to have entered Jeju Province separately from China between the 20th and 21st.
According to police, they allegedly assaulted and confined two Chinese female tourists at around 2:30 p.m. on the 21st at a private pension-style lodging facility in Saekdal-dong, Seogwipo City.
They are also suspected of taking the victims’ mobile phones and tablet PCs, and of transferring 100,000 yuan from bank accounts accessed through a banking application to another account. The amount is equivalent to approximately 20 million won.
The incident came to light the following day when one of the victims escaped from the lodging. At around 3 p.m. on the 22nd, one of the women fled the facility, asked an employee for help, and prompted a report to the 112 emergency line.
After receiving the report, police dispatched detectives and arrested two suspects who remained at the lodging facility. Another suspect in his 30s was arrested at the departure area of Jeju International Airport at around 7 p.m. that day. Investigators found that he had been attempting to board a flight to China scheduled to depart about 30 minutes later.
The remaining two accomplices, however, are believed to have already left for China by plane on the morning of the 22nd, before the report was made to the 112 emergency line.
While continuing to question the three arrested suspects, police are pursuing international cooperation through INTERPOL and other channels to apprehend the two accomplices who fled to China.
The investigation is focusing on how the suspects and the victims came to meet in Jeju Province and whether the crime was planned in advance. Police are also examining the role assigned to each suspect and whether any additional offenses were committed. 
Because both the suspects and the victims are foreign nationals, and some suspects left the country before the police were notified, the case cannot be resolved through arrests in South Korea alone. Securing suspects who fled overseas requires additional procedures, including locating them abroad and coordinating with international law enforcement agencies.
The rapid increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting Jeju Province is also a factor worth considering in the background of the case.
Approximately 1.88 million foreign tourists had visited Jeju Province as of the 18th, an increase of 13.5% from the same period last year. Given the large share of Chinese tourists in Jeju’s tourism market, the rise in foreign visitors also underscores the need to strengthen responses to crimes targeting tourists and to track suspects who flee overseas.
Police are investigating the circumstances of the crime and any additional offenses involving the three arrested suspects, while tracking the whereabouts of the two accomplices who left for China.
[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter