A Korean television station is reporting that more than 30 Chinese tourists remain missing in Korea’s southern resort island of Jeju after 44 of them abandoned a tour group from a cruise ship.

The Chinese passengers arrived on the Italian cruise ship Costa Classica Sunday in Jeju  from Shanghai and went to visit tourist sites on the island but did not return for the 3 p.m. departure. 

South Korean police apprehended eleven of the cruise passengers, but the other 33 remain unaccounted for.   The South Korean port of Jeju has been a frequent stopover for illegal immigrants from China seeking employment in Korea. The Chinese passengers took their luggage with them, and apparently intended to work illegally in South Korea.