Ten Chinese reported missing in South Korea last month were found working illegally at local construction sites and were arrested by South Korean authorities, the Beijing Times reported yesterday.

A group of 19 Chinese who entered South Korea as tourists left a hotel secretly after staying overnight in Incheon and met three illegal Chinese agents who got them jobs at two construction sites. The three agents were also arrested.

The remaining nine Chinese were still missing.

The Chinese could earn 10,000 yuan (US$1,612) or more per month in South Korea, according to the travel agency in South Korea that organized the trip.

Each tourist paid nearly 30,000 yuan to the three Chinese middlemen who made a living by human smuggling.

The group was reported missing on their second day in South Korea. They took a cruise ship from Dalian in Liaoning Province on December 28 and arrived in Incheon the next day.

The tour guide alerted police that they were missing.

The group of men are from northwest China's Shaanxi Province and from the provincial capital of Xi'an.