Students briefly stranded in Seoul

SURABAYA: Some 20 students and three lecturers from Surabaya- based Christian Petra University were briefly stranded at the Seoul immigration office while on their way to attend a joint art exhibition with Dongseo University in Pusan, South Korea.

Petra University spokesperson Lusy Puspita said in Surabaya on Sunday that the entourage, which had left Jakarta on Oct. 21, had been barred from entering Seoul because they did not bring with them their invitation from Dongseo University.

In addition to the Indonesian entourage were four other foreigners, from India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

"The immigration officer tried to contact Dongseo University but failed since the group arrived early in the morning and there was no-one at the university, so they were taken to the interrogation room," Lusy said.

The group was finally allowed to leave the immigration office after a Dongseo University professor confirmed that the foreign students had been invited by the university.

The exhibition was held from Oct. 23 to Oct. 29. --Antara