Korean Job Discussion Forums

Keepongoing · Joined: 13 Feb 2003 Location: Korea

I have heard of recent stories that US Customs at airports are frequently detaining passengers who return to their countries from Asian countries. It is especially bad if you are a single male and have been to The Philippines or SE Asia.

bellum99 · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: don't need to know

Canadian cutoms is almost as bad...they were really stupid last time I went back to Canada. It was like I was already guilty of a crime and they just had to find what it was.

ajgeddes · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Location: Yongsan

Never had a problem. Both the last times going to Canada and the USA, I was through customs in about a minute.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

babtangee · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 12:46 am Post subject:

A customs official in Australia made the comment, "That's disgusting!" when he was informed that the duty-free handbag my wife had purchased cost $900US. I said, "I know: it's much more appropriate to have Asian children making our handbags for crumbs." The female custom officials just wanted to see the bag.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Yes. I had my digital camera and laptop searched for child pron. My flight was hubbed out of Narita, which also had people from Thailand aboard. I was even dressed in a suit and tie and looked about as squeaky clean as a person could be.

They basically looked in my My Photos directory. They might do a search of your HD for jpg extensions etc. If they really want, they even have software to look at deleted files.

Anyway, if you have any embarrassing photos you don't want to part with, you might want to rename the file extension and move them to a buried innocuous folder. Keep some innocuous porn on hand so it doesn't appear like you're hiding something. Of course if you do have child pron, then I hope you burn.

I believe this all came about because some Canadian guy was going through the USA, returning from SE Asia and had a pile of child pron on his HD.

Bibbitybop · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

My roughest time was going from Praha to London. I'm American. I had left England 2 weeks before, traveled, then returned to England for a final week. Immigration was super strict on me because I only had 5 British pounds, Czech Crown and ATM cards. My friend was meeting me at the exit and I was staying with her, but didn't know her address. He couldn't believe I didn't have British pounds nor know my friends address. I told him he could come to the exit, watch me withdraw money and meet my friend. After a minute of thinking, he let me through. Fking stupid.

SHANE02 · Joined: 04 Jun 2003

Auckland airport customs guys are assholes too. I went thru with my wife who's Korean and they asked us tons of stupid questions and then when we were getting our bags this other *beep* asked the SAME qustions.

E.G
Why did you come to NZ?
It's my home.

What will you do here?
Visit family, it's Christmas.

What will you do with them?
Go to the beach.

What will you do after you go to the beach?
Travel around.

Where will you travel to?

I stayed nice and calm but these clowns really pissed me off.

They do the normal "Where do you work" qustions too but try to trck me (or are stupid) and say, "Ahhhh so you're on the jet programme".

Check this out for another example of paranoid power trippers

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=114&objectid=10434955

What would happen if I asked one of these pricks what his problem was?

khyber · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Compunction Junction

Never had a problem arriving into Vancouver before. But this year will be a different story.
I'm coming back with two instruments, two dogs and a suitcase (FCK that's going to be expensive!)

This move back home (w/ my wife) will be permanent and we have already sent some stuff back/will be sending stuff back via mail.

I know there is a "goods to follow" form:
How does everyone sugest all that crap should be handled?

I'm not worried about the dogs though: I've gone through with dogs before just not with all my belongings.

blackjack · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Location: anyang

Just watched a doco about this australian guy returning after 3 years in Japan with 3 million yen ($36,000 aust) did not declare it. The police was brought in and it was 50-50 whether the police were going to charge him and take the money. (He got let off)

I got stripped searched returning from a visa run from Japan (granted i looked pretty rough got stuck over there for an extra 2 days. My clothes were dirty, had not shaved in four days, only had a backpack and arrived at the Japanese airport 20min before the flight was due to leave (never trust your employer)

Beej · Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Location: Eungam Loop

The most hard core immigration officers are the US immigration officers on the land border between Vancouver and Washington State. All big burly dudes. Not even a hint of a smile or verbal nicety. Gave me and my Korean gal a ration of crap. Scared her half to death just asking basic questions: " Is that your boyfriend" " how did you meet" Where are you going...

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

While Away · Joined: 03 Dec 2006 Location: Seoul

Two times ago in LA:
Customs: "Purpose of trip?"
Me: "To see my parents for Christmas" (It was Dec 20?)
Cutoms: Very angry stare
Me: (Confused) Oh, sorry, this IS my trip. I LIVE in Korea.

Last time in LA:
Customs: "How many days away?"
Me: Pause as I do some computation in my head.
Customs: Louder "How many days away?"
Me: I've been out of the country for 9 months.

They just don't get it that some people may actually get out of America for more than a week.

Young FRANKenstein

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea