Students at a lecture hall in Incheon University. — VNA/VNS Photo Mạnh Hùng

INCHEON — Police in the Republic of Korea (RoK) said they are searching for 164 Vietnamese students enrolled on a Korean language course at Incheon University after they were reported to have missed 15 days of class.

The Vietnamese students are thought to have found jobs after studying for a short time, according to police.

The university reported the case to police on Tuesday in accordance with the law on student management.

The missing students are among about 1,900 Vietnamese students taking a one-year language training course which started four months ago at Incheon University.

The RoK’s immigration department has been informed about the case.

The RoK’s ministries of justice and education have sent officials to Incheon University to investigate the school’s activities to attract and manage foreign students.

They plan to hold a discussion with teachers and the school’s principal.

Vietnam News Agency reported that the RoK might tighten its visa policy for Vietnamese students following the case.

Yonhap News Agency reported that the country’s residence law requires universities to report to police if foreign students leave school for more than 15 days.

A spokesperson from the university was quoted by Yonhap as saying: “To come to Korea to study short-term language courses, many students have to pay millions to brokers in Việt Nam. They believe the salary from illegal labour in Korea may be greater, so these illegal actions were taken.”

There are currently more than 37,400 Vietnamese students learning in the RoK, increasing by more than 10,000 students compared to the end of last year.

The number of Vietnamese students accounts for 23.4 per cent of total number of foreign students in the RoK. — VNS