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Immigration Act — Article 56 (Temporary detention of aliens)

출입국관리법 제56조

This English translation is based on the Korean text effective 2026-01-23. The Korean law has since been amended (current version effective 2026-10-02) — check the Korean original.

(1) An immigration control official may temporarily detain any of the following aliens in an immigration detention unit for up to 48 hours:

1. A person whose entry is not permitted under Article 12(4);

2. A person granted obtained conditional entry permission under Article 13(1) and who has fled or appears very likely to flee;

3. A person subject to a departure order under Article 68(1) who has fled or appears very likely to flee.

(2) Where an immigration control official is unable to deport an alien temporarily detained under paragraph (1) within 48 hours due to lack of transportation to repatriate the alien, illness, or other extenuating circumstances, the immigration control official may extend the period of detention only once by up to 48 hours with approval from the head of the competent Regional Immigration Service. <Amended on Mar. 18, 2014>[This Article Wholly Amended on May 14, 2010]

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