South Korean immigration authorities will continue implementing stringent rules for Thai nationals hoping to enter the country as many Thai workers continue to work there secretly.
Over the past three years, the number of Thai illegal workers in South Korea has doubled, prompting Korean authorities to maintain tough measures against illegal entry, Saran Charoensuwan, Thai ambassador to South Korea, said.
Currently there are about 100,000 Thais in South Korea and over half of them are believed to be illegal workers mostly doing jobs like fruit picking, he said.
These workers are willing to risk the consequences of being caught because they get attractive salaries of more than 30,000 baht a month and stand to suffer relatively light punishment.
In the majority of cases, they are sent back to Thailand and blacklisted, Mr Saran said.
The ambassador warned their lives will be tough, even if they escape detection.
These workers have no rights under labour welfare protection. If they are sick, they have to pay for medical bills themselves, which can be expensive.
"So it is better to enter the country with honour and under the law," Mr Saran said.
He admitted the entry denials have caused concerns among Thai tourists. Some have urged South Korea to consider re-introducing a requirement for Thais to apply for visas. Thais have visa entry now, but are subject to other checks such as whether they have hotel bookings.
The proposal may reduce the likelihood of being rejected at Korean airports, but does not tackle the root cause, he said. Between 400,000 and 500,000 Thais travel to South Korea each year, according to the ambassador.
A requirement to apply for visas would affect tourism and cause inconvenience. In fact, Mr Saran said, only about 20,000 of these people are denied entry.
Also, Korean authorities use reliable measures to screen suspected illegal immigrants, so other travellers should not be too worried, he said.
However, in case they are required to go through stricter inspection, they should show necessary documents, including hotel bookings, itineraries and plane tickets.
Korean authorities have not only become stringent with Thai nationals. They apply strict immigration measures to citizens from all countries, Mr Saran added.
