Korean overstayer in Pattaya fakes abduction to get money for Thai girlfriend

Some people take very desperate measures to get money.

A Korean overstayer in Pattaya faked his own abduction to get money for his Thai girlfriend‘s expenses. Unfortunately for him, things didn’t go according to plan.

The young man, 24 year old Kim Hyeongil, lied to his parents that he had been kidnapped before he was about to board a flight from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to South Korea. He then suddenly lost contact with his parents.

Kim’s parents, worried about their son’s safety, contacted the South Korean Embassy in Thailand for help, leading to a rescue operation in Pattaya yesterday.

But Pattaya Police walked into Kim’s rented house to find him simply relaxing there. Kim tried to make a run for it, but the officers followed and captured him. They then brought him in for questioning at the Chon Buri Immigration Office.

Kim admitted that he had not been abducted or tortured. He claimed he had to fake his abduction because he repeatedly refused his requests for money. Kim said he only wanted his parents to transfer him money so that he could take care of his Thai girlfriend who lived with him.

Pattaya Police disclosed to The Pattaya News that immigration officers are proceeding with legal action against Kim not for faking his story, but for overstaying his visa for 497 days, which is a violation of Thai law.

Under Thai law, Kim may face a fine, deportation, and blacklisting from re-entering Thailand. So much for his grand plan.

There have been a few recent crime incidents in Pattaya involving South Koreans.

Last week, officers from Mueng Pattaya Police Station arrested a British and Korean man after they stole 175,000 baht from a cannabis shop in Pattaya. The two thieves were identified as 47 year old Englishman Markus Powell and 52 year old Korean Myoung Kyu Lee. The arrest followed a complaint made by the owner of the cannabis shop on Pattaya Sai Sam Road, THC Trade Herbs & Cannabis.