BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s Immigration Bureau has firmly denied recent claims from South Korean media alleging that eleven South Korean nationals were abducted while in Thailand. An internal investigation found that most of the individuals had already left the country safely, and several had never entered Thailand at all.
Extensive inquiry contradicts foreign reports
Acting on the orders of Police Lieutenant General Phanumart Boonyalak, Commissioner of Immigration, a review was launched immediately after the reports surfaced. Police Colonel Choengron Rimpadee, Deputy Commissioner and spokesperson for the bureau, briefed the media on Monday, outlining evidence that directly refuted the abduction stories.
According to immigration records:
• Five of the alleged victims entered and departed Thailand lawfully.
• Two were detained for immigration violations and subsequently deported.
• Four had no recorded entry in Thailand’s border-control systems.
Travel history confirms normal departures
Documentation reviewed by immigration officials traced clear travel movements. Kim Young-Hyun (30) spent three days in the country in April and exited via Chiang Mai Airport. Lim Seung-Hyeon (34) stayed three weeks before leaving through Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Park Gun-Wook (33) remained just over three months, Ryu Han-Su (30) crossed to Cambodia after three days, while Jeong Ki-Hoon (37) departed in late July.
Two others faced legal repercussions before leaving Thailand: Kim Gyeong-Hyeon (30) was deported and blacklisted for fraud, and Noh Ki-Dong (34) voluntarily surrendered to authorities for overstaying a visa.
Security coordination and risk alerts
The Immigration Bureau said its findings would be formally shared with the South Korean Embassy in Bangkok. Commissioner Phanumart has ordered that immigration officers issue travel warnings to visitors considered at risk of exploitation by cross-border crime networks.
Colonel Choengron said officers had already delivered more than 5,000 such advisories since January 2025, largely aimed at alerting foreign tourists to false job offers that lure them into illicit operations in neighboring countries. To strengthen border integrity, joint security checkpoints have been established, particularly in Tak province, where routes lead toward Myanmar.
Concerns about recurring misinformation
The spokesman expressed frustration over repetitive misreporting which, he said, portrays Thailand unfairly as unsafe for foreigners.
“THESE CLAIMS CREATE UNNECESSARY FEAR AND DAMAGE TRUST IN THAILAND’S SECURITY RECORD,”
he said, emphasizing that earlier cases—such as a story involving an Ethiopian man named Oli and a Belarusian model—had also been proven unfounded.
Authorities reaffirmed Thailand’s ongoing commitment to tourist safety and urged media outlets to conduct basic fact-checking before circulating similar allegations.
“THAILAND REMAINS A SAFE DESTINATION, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO COOPERATE CLOSELY WITH FOREIGN MISSIONS TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY AND CONFIDENCE,”
Colonel Choengron said.