(image: KobizMedia/ Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — Four out of every 10 foreigners who entered South Korea on a language study visa turned into illegal immigrants, data showed Tuesday.
Out of the total 64,904 foreigners staying in South Korea as of June after entering the country on the D-4 General Trainee Visa, 25,898, or 39.9 percent, switched into undocumented immigrants, according to the justice ministry data released by Rep. Cho Jung-hun of the Transition Korea party.
The D-4 visa is issued mostly to Korean language trainees. The justice ministry categorizes foreigners on study visas who fall out of touch with authorities or whose whereabouts become unknown as illegal immigrants.
Of the total foreign entrants on the D-4 visa, 22,760 Vietnamese people remained illegal immigrants, followed by 1,054 Uzbekistan nationals and 820 Mongolians.
Of those who entered South Korea on the D-2-1 student visa, which is issued to foreigners wishing to study for a two-year college degree, 27.3 percent, or 2,790, had turned into illegal immigrants, the data also showed.
Cho urged a review of the country’s foreign student policy, saying the visa screening process for them should be carried out in a more thorough manner.
(Yonhap)
