Ministry of Justice Orders Departure of Over 37,000 Illegal Foreign Residents

Handonghun "20,000 Crackdowns in the First Half of This Year... The Largest Ever"

The Ministry of Justice has deported 37,000 illegal foreign residents.

On the 21st, the Ministry of Justice announced that during the first half of this year, through joint government crackdowns on immigration offenders, they apprehended 20,427 illegal foreign residents and took measures such as forcibly deporting 18,782 individuals. Additionally, patrols and inspections were conducted in areas densely populated by foreigners, leading to 18,157 voluntary departures, resulting in a total of 37,000 deportations.

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The number of people caught during this joint government crackdown on immigration offenders has more than tripled compared to the first half of last year (6,292), marking the largest scale ever for the first half of the year. The largest nationality was Thailand with 8,645 people, followed by Vietnam (3,923), China (2,597), and Mongolia (826).

The Ministry of Justice also imposed fines and other penalties on 4,470 employers who illegally hired foreigners without proper residency status, and identified 188 brokers who facilitated illegal employment and entry.

Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, stated, "As of the first half of this year, we have apprehended more than 20,000 illegal foreign residents, the highest number ever. We will flexibly accept foreigners who abide by Korean laws and contribute to the economy, but we will strictly crack down on illegal foreign residents who break the law."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.