2025the number of people residing in Korea without registration was 357,598. The largest group entered on Visa waiver (B-1), at 125,925, or 35.2% of the total, people who entered visa-free and stayed past their permitted period. The highest year was 2023 423,675 people.
Source: MOJ Statistical Yearbook on Immigration and Foreign Policy.
Note: the yearbook titles this table with a term that translates as illegal sojourners. This page says undocumented, because what is counted is a residence that is unregistered and not a finding about any person.
Note: the status is the one the person entered on or last held, not one they hold now. No district figures exist for any year, so this count does not enter the district reports.
| Rank | Status on entry | Persons | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visa waiver (B-1) | 125,925 | 35.2 |
| 2 | Short-term visit (C-3) | 72,910 | 20.4 |
| 3 | Non-professional employment (E-9) | 50,499 | 14.1 |
| 4 | General trainee (D-4) | 22,778 | 6.4 |
| 5 | Tourist/transit (B-2) | 20,097 | 5.6 |
| 6 | G1 | 11,999 | 3.4 |
| 7 | Student (D-2) | 9,867 | 2.8 |
| 8 | E10 | 9,558 | 2.7 |
| 9 | ETC | 5,891 | 1.6 |
| 10 | E8 | 4,680 | 1.3 |
Source: MOJ Statistical Yearbook on Immigration and Foreign Policy.
Note: the status is the one the person entered on or last held, not one they hold now. The ten largest are shown.
Source: MOJ Statistical Yearbook on Immigration and Foreign Policy.
Note: the peak was 423,675 in 2023 and the number has fallen since.
| Year | Persons |
|---|
The yearbook titles this table with a term that translates as illegal sojourners. This page says undocumented, because what is counted is a residence that is unregistered and not a finding about any person.
The largest groups entered visa-free or on a short-term visit and stayed past their permitted period. That is a different route from entering on a work status and leaving the workplace.
No district figures exist for any year, because the Ministry of Justice does not publish them by area. This count is not part of the registered-foreigner figures in the district reports.