South Korean authorities have apprehended 31 Chinese nationals who illegally crossed into the country by boat along the Taean coast (a coastal county roughly 100 kilometres southwest of Seoul) between September 2019 and May 2025. Most were former workers who had been deported for overstaying visas and had no legal route back, prompting them to attempt clandestine sea crossings, typically during calmer spring or autumn months. The case gained international attention after Chinese dissident Dong Guangping, one of the 31 caught in the most recent incident in May, was subsequently permitted to leave South Korea and reached Canada in June.