South Korea Trip Gone Wrong, Indian Influencer, Wife Detained Like Criminals

Sachin Awasthi, a famous YouTuber known for his humorous, social commentary-like reels, posted a video describing a horrific experience, where he and his wife were detained for more than 38 hours, at what seemed to be a detention center, during their travel in South Korea. 

Taking to Instagram, Sachin shared his ordeal about how his trip with his wife, Deepshikha Mishra, to South Korea went wrong. Sachin said they had gone to visit the famous Jeju island, when they were asked to step aside at the immigration centre at the Airport, and taken to a detention centre which had separate rooms for men and women. The couple was made to fill out  a form with personal details. They had clearly stated their purpose of visit, which was tourism, but despite that, local authorities denied their entry, stating ‘purpose of stay, not clear.’

In the viral video that Sachin made regarding this situation, he had stated that the interpreter provided to them was misinterpreting a lot of the statements that Sachin and his wife made during the strict interview being taken. Clearly not translating their intent, and getting their entry denied and application rejected. The place was devoid of any sunlight and looked like a literal prison. After forcing them to stay inside this center, they were provided with the worst of food and constantly monitored by the security guards. Hours passed without clarity about their situation. He described the food, which was just juice and a bun, which was of poor quality.

Despite being genuine tourists, they had to share space with convicted illegal migrants and criminals. In the video, Sachin states there were many other tourists, just like them, stuck in the same room. During this mistreatment by South Korean authorities, Sachin tried to reach the Indian embassy, but no appropriate response was provided. He alleged that the embassy did not even answer his call. At the end, Sachin was forced to buy a Juneyo Airlines ticket ten times the normal price. “The return ticket cost almost 10 times the normal price. At that moment, we didn’t have the energy to argue. We just wanted to get out safely,” he wrote in the viral post.

Later on, they went to India via China, but things did not really change. The experience, he said, continued during transit through China. “More waiting. More supervision. Communication was restricted. No use of phone and no food, and limited water. Sleeping conditions were worse,” he stated. During their Shanghai layover, they were again forced to wait in the waiting area, and had to be there for more than 8 hours. According to Sachin, “These 8 hours felt even worse than the 36 hours of detainment.” During this time, their phones were taken, and they were stripped of all contact with their closed ones and family members. After 8 hours they were released.

This whole experience was extremely traumatizing for Sachin and his wife. He states in his video, “What were our crimes exactly? And why did we deserve such harsh treatment and be treated like criminals, despite being genuine tourists?”

The Instagram post and YouTube video of Sachin Awasthi, regarding this situation, gained virality. Users showed full support and showed empathy to Sachin and his wife over the ill-treatment.

One user commented, “That’s so unfair and extremely sad, brother. I can’t imagine how you would have felt.” Another user commented, “It must have been painful. Thank God you are safe. Bias and prejudiced treatment are horrible.”

Clarifying his intent, Awasthi added, “I’m not sharing this for sympathy or drama. Immigration decisions are within their authority. But they did not have any right to treat us like CRIMINALS.”

Their experience highlighted the racist behavior of immigration officers and the plight of Indian tourists, and Sachin also cautioned travellers that “Travel looks glamorous online. But sometimes, things change in a few hours and test you emotionally in ways you never expect.”

This article is authored by Satvik AVP, a student of Loyola College, interning at Deccan Chronicle, Secunderabad