A 19-year-old Taiwanese university student who was reported missing last month has turned up in Korean jail, where she awaits trial for her part in a telecom scam.

Chiang Yun-yi left Taiwan on Feb. 14, telling her parents that she had found work in Korea and later called to say she had arrived safely. But then she disappeared from the radar, prompting her parents to file a missing person's report with Taiwanese police on Feb. 25.

Two days later, the Taipei Mission in Korea asked Seoul to initiate a search. But her whereabouts proved elusive to police. After several more days, Chiang's family and voluntary organizations stepped in to help, posting an appeal on Facebook to track her down.

It was not until last Saturday that police found her safe and sound in jail in Uijeongbu north of Seoul.

According to police, Chiang was a member of a scam operation in the island nation and came to Korea to meet a contact here to collect money. She was arrested in a sting as she was withdrawing illicit money and was indicted on fraud charges Friday.

The reason it took police so long to track her down was that the English transliteration of her name in the arrest records was different than that given by the Taipei Mission.

Chiang was arrested with an accomplice, who had arrived in Korea the day before her. After her arrest, she pleaded with police not to tell her parents about her arrest and police obliged.

Also, Korea and Taiwan do not have official diplomatic relations, so police in both countries are not required to inform each other of crimes committed by their citizens in the other country.

