PPA-PPO Directorate Investigates Alleged Human Trafficking of Indonesians in Jeju
The Directorate of Crimes Against Women and Children and Human Trafficking (Dittipi PPA-PPO) of the Indonesian National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri) is investigating information regarding the alleged trafficking of Indonesian citizens (WNI) in Jeju Island, South Korea.
According to the Director of PPA-PPO, Brigadier General Pol. Nurul Azizah, the information was obtained via social media and has since been followed up through coordination with the Indonesian National Police International Relations Division (DivHubinter Polri) and relevant ministries.
“Regarding the news, the Directorate of PPA and PPO of Bareskrim has coordinated with the Polri International Relations Division and relevant ministries. As of now, we have not received any official reports,” Nurul confirmed in Jakarta on Sunday.
Nurul stated that since obtaining the information regarding the alleged human trafficking, her office has used it as a basis for discussion and has engaged in informal coordination with related parties. She noted that, so far, no official reports regarding the alleged trafficking of Indonesians in Jeju have been formally submitted to her department.
“The standard procedure is for reports to come from P2MI or BP2MI, but so far we have not received an official report. However, we have followed up on this information,” Nurul said.
She added that if the social media user had reported the incident to the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI), the information would have been forwarded. However, no official notification or report regarding the social media posts has been received yet.
“Illegal Indonesian citizens remain the responsibility of the state, but they must still report. We continue to coordinate; usually, P2MI receives the reports, or we share them with the Indonesian migrant protection desk. P2MI will then coordinate with the Korean authorities, which is where the process converges. Whether they report or not will depend on the results of P2MI’s coordination with our representatives in Korea,” she explained.
Social media posts on Instagram from three days ago alleged that Indonesians in Jeju were reporting suspected human trafficking, involving victims sent by another Indonesian national residing in Jeju. The information originated from the account @Kioyyx_, an Indonesian citizen living in Jeju as an immigrant, who shared details of the suspected trafficking occurring in Seogwipo.
In the post, the user asked which agencies or departments could be contacted to report the suspected crime. The account owner requested assistance from netizens to contact them via direct message (DM) if anyone knew the appropriate authorities, including the police.
The account owner, also an Indonesian citizen, stated that they had already reported the matter to the Jeju Immigration Office via email and received a response that the report had been received and would be processed in order. They had also reported to the Indonesian Embassy in Korea, but were informed that the Embassy cannot handle criminal cases on behalf of others, and that the victims themselves must report the matter to the Seogupo Police Station.
The account owner noted that some victims are undocumented immigrants and are therefore very afraid to report directly to the police. They expressed concern that new cases of abuse continue to occur in the region, prompting the use of alternative reporting methods.
In the post, the user claimed that hundreds of people have arrived in Jeju from Indonesia to work illegally. “The perpetrator of this action is an Indonesian citizen living in Jeju, and I possess all relevant evidence,” wrote the @Kioyyx_ account.
The user further alleged that the individual they intend to report is the person responsible for sending people to Jeju. This individual reportedly recruits people in Indonesia and sends them to Jeju for a fee of 7 million Won (approximately IDR 90 million) per person.
“As far as I know, it appears hundreds, perhaps even more than a thousand people, have arrived in Jeju. Upon arrival, some apply for refugee status, while others work as undocumented residents,” wrote @Kioyyx_.
The account also noted that some of those sent to Jeju were denied entry during immigration checks and were returned to Indonesia.