The Korean Embassy in China has requested Chinese authorities to shut down and investigate illegal websites impersonating Korean government agencies to collect fraudulent fees for entry processing services.
Ambassador Noh Jae-hyun said at a regular briefing at the Beijing embassy on Monday that two illegal sites posing as government agencies were found on Chinese portal Baidu, claiming to provide electronic arrival card services for Korea.
"The sites were discovered through a complaint from a Chinese citizen on the 4th, but they remain accessible as they have not yet been closed," Noh said.
The fraudulent websites display the Korean flag on their main pages and use phrases such as "Republic of Korea Electronic Entry" and "Korea Travel Support" to mimic official government sites. They charge processing fees of 232 yuan (approximately $32) for standard service and 510 yuan (approximately $70) for expedited processing.
While a small disclaimer at the bottom states the sites are unrelated to the Korean government or embassy, the overall design closely replicates official government websites. Korea's electronic arrival card service is provided free of charge in six languages, including English, Chinese, and Japanese, on the official government website.
The embassy has sent official letters requesting site removal and investigation to China's Cyberspace Administration, the National Immigration Administration under the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"These are commercial sites with no connection to the Korean government and use Chinese domains," an embassy official said. "We are in contact with the portal to take action as quickly as possible."
The emergence of these illegal sites coincides with a surge in Chinese visitors to Korea. According to the Ministry of Justice and Korean diplomatic missions in China, 442,379 Chinese nationals visited Korea in January, up 14.3% year-on-year. Visa issuances through last month also rose 34% to 205,580.
With approximately 1,000 visa applications arriving daily, staffing for visa processing has become strained. Ambassador Noh attributed the scam sites to rising interest in visiting Korea and the surge in visa applications, adding that the embassy has issued warnings through its website and WeChat.
