He had planned to stay in South Korea until he was kicked out. It didn’t take long.
South Korean authorities were apparently not amused by infamous big-legged beggar Benjamin Holst’s antics, and he can now add that country to the ever-growing list of places from which he is banned.
We reported two weeks ago that he was in Seoul, then departed for Busan. Updates on his Facebook page indicate that he took a trip to Taiwan before attempting to return to South Korea. He also updated his audience with the inevitable news that he is now banned from Taiwan and South Korea in addition to the countries he had previously been banned from: Thailand and Indonesia. He has also been denied entry into Singapore.
He posted a status on Sept. 24 that he gotten in trouble with the Taiwanese police and may have even appeared in the news. We are not sure exactly what crimes he committed in the two countries to get himself banned.
He was banned from Thailand in 2014 after swindling “money to get home” from both Thais on the street and a foundation. He was later found to have partied the money away with Pattaya hookers and seemingly had no regrets about the ongoing incidents.
A few weeks ago, after being off the Asian grid for some time, he popped up on a flight bound for Laos, with a layover in Thailand. Due to his blacklisted status, he was not even allowed to connect flights. Instead, he managed to nab a flight to South Korea.
By translating a German language status he posted 12 hours ago, Holst was held at immigration in Seoul and was losing power in his phone. But he did manage to update that his next stop will be Beijing.
However, there is a glimmer of light at the end of this story. Holst wrote that he was fed up with authorities in Asia and that, in October, he’ll head to Amsterdam and plans to never return to Asia.
Don’t let the door hit ‘cha Ben!
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