ILLEGAL MIGRANTS RETURN HOME AMID VIRUS

[Anchor Lead]

A growing number of illegal Chinese immigrants in Korea are willing to return to their home country because of the coronavirus outbreak. The Jeju Immigration Office is packed all day with illegal migrants submitting their applications for voluntary departure.

[Pkg]

People stand in long lines at the Jeju Immigration Office. Most of them are illegal Chinese immigrants willing to leave Korea voluntarily. They are willing to leave, despite not being penalized for illegal stay, because of the coronavirus outbreak.

[Soundbite] (ILLEGAL CHINESE MIGRANT(VOICE ALTERED)) : "If I get infected with the coronavirus, I'm not eligible for medical treatment in Korea. I'm going back to China, where I have a health care guarantee."

The Chinese nationals also say they don't feel comfortable staying in Korea because of the negative public opinion about China, where the virus originated. There were 84 illegal migrants who applied for voluntary departures between February 1 and 23, but that figure jumped to more than 460 in the following six days and currently reaches 300 daily. The justice ministry has been inducing illegal migrants to leave the country by exempting them from penalties since January as part of efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19. Flights between Jeju and China were halted after visa-free stays for Chinese nationals were suspended temporarily. Chinese airlines will temporarily resume flights to Jeju to bring Chinese nationals back home.