The Ministry of Justice noted on the 19th that since the end of September, they have deported approximately 18,000 illegal foreign residents.
From Sept. 30 to Nov. 30, the Ministry of Justice, in conjunction with the Korean National Police Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Coast Guard, conducted a 62-day joint operation. They apprehended a total of 10,184 individuals, including 8,476 illegal foreign residents, 1,692 illegal employers, and 16 individuals facilitating illegal employment and entry.
Among the illegal foreign residents, 7,419 were deported through forced departure, while 720 were fined. The remaining are under investigation. The Ministry of Justice noted that including the 11,107 individuals who voluntarily departed, a total of 18,526 were deported in this operation.
Additionally, they apprehended 52 illegal foreign residents involved in crimes such as drug and gambling offenses (29 individuals) and driving without a license or with ghost cars (23 individuals). They plan to deport or restrict entry for these individuals once the criminal procedures are concluded.
A total of 87 billion won in fines were imposed on 1,692 illegal employers, and of the 16 individuals facilitating illegal employment and entry, 3 were detained.
The Ministry of Justice reported that by November this year, they had apprehended an unprecedented 43,404 illegal foreign residents and facilitated the voluntary departure of 41,461 individuals.
The number of illegal foreign residents has been decreasing steadily since hitting a high of 430,000 in October last year. Kim Seok-woo, acting Minister of Justice, said, “We will continue to consistently pursue policies to reduce illegal residency.”