The crime rate among overseas Koreans surged 45% over the past four years, analysis showed.
According to data submitted by People Power Party lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 8th, the number of perpetrators among overseas Koreans based on civil complaints received by overseas missions under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rose about 45%, from 2,297 in 2020 to 3,321 in 2024. This year as well, the number of overseas Korean crime perpetrators reached 1,876 in just the first half.
Looking at the types of offenses committed by overseas Koreans, immigration crimes such as illegal entry and stay and visa condition violations occurred more than 1,000 times each year, the most among categories. In the first half of this year alone, 796 people were caught for immigration crimes, accounting for 42.4% of all perpetrators.
The number of perpetrators committing violent offenses is also on the rise. Rape and forcible molestation increased from 31 in 2020 to 74 in 2024, and murder more than doubled from 13 to 27 over the same period.
By country where overseas Koreans committed crimes, China recorded the most at 3,389 from 2020 through the first half of this year, followed by Japan with 1,743, the Philippines with 1,351, and the United States with 1,180. In particular, during this period, 49% (580 people) of crimes committed by overseas Koreans in the United States were immigration crimes.
Kim said, "Despite a sharp increase in crimes committed overseas by overseas Koreans over the past five years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is refusing to submit data such as the exact number of our country's nationals staying in the United States or their visa status with the irresponsible answer that it is 'not under its jurisdiction,'" adding, "With tariff negotiations with the United States facing difficulties, it is urgent to devise realistic and fundamental measures for overseas Koreans."