Indonesian Tourist's Disappearance in South Korea Sparks Legal and Financial Fallout
The whereabouts of Femas Yani Arianto (22), a resident of Madiun who fled his tour group while in South Korea, remain a mystery. The travel agency Berani Backpacker has even gone so far as to offer a reward of free holiday packages to Singapore and Malaysia for any Indonesian national in the Land of Morning Calm who succeeds in bringing Femas home.
This extreme step was taken because Femas’s decision is considered deeply selfish and has triggered a domino effect harming many people — from the tour group to Indonesian society at large, and his own mother back in his hometown.
There are several tangible consequences of Femas’s selfish decision, as he has now overstayed his visa since 12 July 2026.
Financial and emotional toll on his mother in Madiun
The most heartbreaking impact of Femas’s reckless act has been borne by his own mother, MT (56), who lives in Madiun. The widow, whose husband passed away in 2018, was suddenly visited by the travel agency demanding compensation in a sum that is staggering for her family.
“The people from the travel agency, Berani Backpacker or whatever it’s called, came here asking me to take responsibility. I don’t even know what I’ve done wrong,” said a distraught MT.
The bill presented at her home in Wungu subdistrict reached Rp 50 million. MT said she was deeply shocked, as her daily income comes only from odd jobs.
“Where am I supposed to get that kind of money? I’m grateful enough just to have enough to eat each day. I do odd jobs — cleaning houses for Rp 60,000 a day. When my late husband was still around we ran a small fertiliser kiosk, but now it’s quiet and closed,” she lamented, describing her hardship since her son’s disappearance.
Fortunately, immigration officials from Madiun who visited her home offered moral support. Officers advised MT not to comply with the compensation demand, as she is not at fault and was completely unaware of Femas’s departure to South Korea.
Foreign Ministry pays attention
Femas’s flight from his open trip to South Korea has drawn the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu). His actions are said to have violated immigration rules.
“Kemlu is monitoring reports concerning an Indonesian national, FY (male, 21), who is suspected of abusing the facilitated entry scheme to South Korea by leaving his tour group and violating local immigration regulations,” said Heni Hamidah, Director of Indonesian Citizen Protection at Kemlu, when contacted on Saturday (18 July 2026).
“As conveyed by the Indonesian Ambassador in Seoul, the Government of Indonesia, together with the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, continues to work towards greater ease of movement between Indonesia and South Korea, including through various efforts to simplify travel access as part of strengthening people-to-people ties between the two countries,” she continued.
Kemlu expressed regret over the actions of an individual suspected of abusing overseas group travel facilities, touching on the importance of compliance by Indonesian nationals travelling abroad.
“The actions of a few individuals who abuse such facilities are deeply regrettable and do not reflect the majority of Indonesian nationals who travel legally and responsibly. Nevertheless, the compliance of every Indonesian national remains an essential factor in maintaining the trust of partner countries’ authorities and in supporting the government’s efforts to continue expanding mobility facilitation for Indonesians,” she added.
Kemlu will intensify coordination with the South Korean authorities. She urged all Indonesian nationals to abide by applicable regulations.
“Kemlu, together with the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, will continue coordinating with South Korean authorities and urging all Indonesian nationals to abide by prevailing regulations so that good relations and cooperation between the two countries, including in people-to-people mobility and tourism, can continue to develop positively,” she said.
Chronology
Quoted by detikJatim, Wiky, Marketing Manager of Berani Backpacker, said the group departed from Jakarta on 27 June 2026. On the first night of the tour, 28 June 2026, all participants were given free time after the day’s itinerary ended.
At that point, around five to seven participants, together with the tour leader (TL), went for a stroll around the Myeongdong district. There, Femas said goodbye, claiming he wanted to look for shoes.
According to Wiky, Femas was actually sharing a room with the tour leader. When the TL returned to the hotel, he sent a message asking Femas to come straight to the room, as the door had been propped open for easy access.
“We waited until morning, but he never came back at all. His WhatsApp messages got one tick, sometimes two, but he never replied,” he said.
Initially, the travel agency assumed Femas had got lost or encountered some difficulty on the way. The tour leader and the local team combed the area where Femas was last seen and tried to contact him repeatedly.
“By the fourth day, our local team went to file a report with the Korean police. However, the report was rejected because there was no criminal element. He was categorised as having deliberately separated himself, not as a missing person,” Wiky explained.
In addition to the police, the travel agency also reported the case to immigration. However, according to Wiky, handling could only begin once the participant’s permitted stay had expired.