Sachin Awasthi, an Indian social media influencer, alleged that he and his wife were detained in South Korea and China for nearly 38 hours and refused entry on their trip abroad.
Awasthi said he and his wife were treated like “criminals” during the detention and allegedly “blackmailed” to book a return ticket at ten times the usual price. He described feeling “mentally drained” and just wanted to leave safely.
In an Instagram post, Awasthi shared his harrowing experience during his trip to South Korea: “We landed in Jeju Island, South Korea, excited and ready for our trip. Within a few hours, everything changed. We were denied entry and taken to a holding area. No proper explanation, just told to wait. And we waited.”
“Hours passed without clarity. They kept us in their detention centre (it was similar to a jail with no sunlight & no access to outside) and also gave us jail food. Nobody told us what was going to happen. They blackmailed us to booking a really expensive return ticket,” he added.
Awasthi said that during their transfer through China, they had almost no access to phones or food and very limited water. He described the sleeping conditions as the worst and said police, wearing Bodycams, even monitored their restroom use.
“Later, during transit through China, it continued. More waiting. More supervision. Communication was restricted. No use of phone and no food and limited water. sleeping conditions were worst. Even the use of restrooms was monitored with a police official who had a bodycam and went to washroom with us,” Awasthi said.
Awasthi emphasised that he is not seeking “sympathy or drama,” adding that “Immigration decisions are their authority. But they did not have any right to treat us like CRIMINALS.”
The Indian influencer warned travellers that “Travel looks glamorous online. But sometimes, things change in a few hours and test you emotionally in ways you never expect.”
Instagram users flooded the comments as the post went viral, expressing support and disbelief at the ordeal.
One user wrote, "Well, that's not new; a lot of travellers are facing these things nowadays. All due to our failed foreign policy, the world is treating us worse than Pakistan. Better to stay in India or permanently settle abroad and take their citizenship and feel the power of a strong passport. We are finished, our passport is finished."
Another added, "That’s so unfair and extremely sad, brother. I can’t imagine how you would have felt. As a frequent traveller myself, the excitement of exploring a new place can still come to a halt, as this is unimaginable. We really want explanations from the authorities as to why this happened. Hope you’re back safe now."
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