The government will no longer allow illegal immigrants to leave the country immediately when they voluntarily appear at an airport or harbor, a measure aimed at preventing illegal aliens from fleeing after committing a crime here, according to the Ministry of Justice, Sunday. / Korea Times file



By Kim Jae-heun



The government will no longer allow illegal immigrants to leave the country immediately when they voluntarily appear at an airport or harbor, a measure aimed at preventing illegal aliens from fleeing after committing a crime here, according to the Ministry of Justice, Sunday.



The decision comes after a Kazakhstani illegal alien returned home a day after being involved in a hit-and-run accident in which a boy was critically injured.



To date, an illegal alien could go home immediately on the day they went to an airport or harbor and reported their voluntary departure to the immigration centers there, unless the person had been banned from leaving.



According to the ministry, the system will be abolished, and starting Oct. 21, illegal migrants will have to report their voluntary departure plan to an immigration center near their residence three to 15 days in advance. They will be allowed to leave after the immigration authorities review the situation.



The authorities will begin the review on Oct. 14. Illegal immigrants will have to submit their passport, departure ticket and an application form. The form can be downloaded from immigration websites or hikorea.go.kr.



In addition, the authorities will check if the illegal aliens have been involved in any crimes.



The ministry will also ban the departing applicants from changing their scheduled departure date, and in case of unavoidable circumstances, such as a family member's death or critical health condition, they must submit documents to prove this.



The ministry said it will receive applications online after scrutinizing overall feedback on the new system.



In the hit-and-run accident, a Kazakhstani man, 20, allegedly ran over an eight-year-old boy in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Sept. 16.



The victim underwent brain surgery, but remains unconsciousness.



The illegal immigrant abandoned his vehicle on a highway in Busan 2.1 kilometers from the where the accident took place. He fled the country through Incheon International Airport at 10.25 a.m. the next day, 18 hours after the accident. Police confirmed the suspect after matching his fingerprints in the car with those used to go through immigration.



Police said it took time to confirm the man's identity because the car was registered under another person's name, so the man left the country before police could request a travel ban.



On Sept. 19, the ministry said it would ask the Kazakhstani government to repatriate the suspect, seeking cooperation with the foreign ministry, the police and Interpol. Korea and Kazakhstan have an extradition treaty.

