South Korea penalizes 734 undocumented delivery riders in account-sharing crackdown

Over 700 undocumented foreign delivery riders penalized in crackdown

A sweeping five-month investigation by the Ministry of Justice has exposed a sprawling underground network of undocumented foreign gig workers using stolen, borrowed or rented accounts to operate illegally within the nation’s food delivery sector. Between January and May, immigration authorities intercepted 734 foreign riders and 16 local delivery agency operators for clear violations of the Immigration Act. The scale of the enforcement reveals a shifting labor landscape: the number of infractions represents an elevenfold spike compared to the 67 riders caught during the entirety of last year, illustrating an illicit market that has ballooned in tandem with the country’s heavily relied-upon smartphone delivery infrastructure. According to data released by the ministry's Immigration and Foreign Policy Bureau, Vietnamese nationals comprised the vast majority of those caught, accounting for 61 percent (444 individuals). Chinese nationals made up 22 percent (164 individuals), followed by Uzbek workers at 12 percent (86 individuals). More than half of the apprehended riders — 410 indiv

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Foreign delivery workers using borrowed accounts surge 11-fold

The number of foreign workers engaged in illegal delivery services has jumped over 10 times from a year earlier, the justice ministry said Monday. According to the ministry, 734 foreigners were caught between January and May working illegally as delivery persons, using borrowed service accounts, up nearly 11 times from 67 cases recorded in all of 2025. By country, those from Vietnam accounted for the largest share at 61 percent, followed by Chinese at 22 percent and Uzbeks at 12 percent. By visa type, students on D-2 visas made up 56 percent, followed by overseas Koreans on F-4 at 20 percent and job seekers at 14 percent. Among those caught, 68 foreigners were deported and 643 were fined a combined total of 1.62 billion won ($1.06 million). Sixteen delivery agencies are also under investigation for providing their delivery application accounts to unqualified foreigners. To root out unqualified foreign riders, the justice ministry has urged delivery platform companies to implement facial recognition systems within their rider apps and strengthen their oversight of local agencies, according

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