About 110 young South Korean students have been held in the capital of the Philippine for allegedly studying English at a language school there without permits, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. 

Immigration officials rounded up the Korean students, who are all minors, at an English-language learning center in Manila on Jan. 7 for violating the Philippine immigration law, an official at Seoul's foreign ministry said. 

"After having their passports seized, they are currently under protection of local authorities," the official said on the condition of anonymity. 

South Korean diplomats in Manila have met local immigration officials and have had talks about letting the students continue to study there or return home, the official said. 

Eight adults involved in the learning center were also detained during the raid, according to the official.

For young South Korean students, the Philippines, where English is a second language, is considered a good place to study English in Southeast Asia because of lower costs than English-speaking Western nations.