Police launch investigation into alleged forceful repatriation of 22 Uzbek students by university

All News 17:05 December 12, 2023

Osan, South Korea, Dec. 12 (Yonhap) -- Police are looking into a claim that a university in a city south of Seoul repatriated 22 Uzbek students against their will before the end of semester, officials said Tuesday.

According to Hanshin University, 23 Uzbek nationals attending a language institute on its campus in the city of Osan, just south of Seoul, were ordered to board a large bus headed to Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Nov. 27.

The school personnel on board later told the students that they must return home, given their failure to meet the requirements to stay in the country.

Foreign students are required to possess bank accounts with over 10 million won (US$7,614) in deposits during their stay, according to relevant guidelines by the justice ministry.

Upon arrival at the airport, the school staff and private guards boarded 22 students, excluding one who complained of health issues, onto an airplane bound for Uzbekistan.

Police launched an investigation following a complaint from the family of one of the students.

Some of the students claim the school tricked them into boarding the bus by lying about its destination, and the repatriation was made by force.

The university officials countered that the decision was inevitable, adding they have repeatedly informed the students of the stay requirements, but the requirements were not met.

The Uzbek nationals reportedly entered South Korea with a D-4 visa on Sept. 27, and could stay until later this month, given their stay requirements were met.

The police plan to look into whether university faculty threatened or forced the international students to leave the country.