Tourists visit Bukchon Hanok Village, a historic neighborhood known for its traditional Korean houses, in Seoul on March 23, 2025. — AFP/VNA Photo

SEOUL — South Korea’s National Police Agency is launching a nationwide crackdown targeting organised criminal activity involving foreign nationals, starting Monday and running through June 30.

Authorities from the National Office of Investigation say the operation comes in response to a recent rise in highly organised and increasingly sophisticated criminal operations linked to foreign nationals, particularly in areas such as drug trafficking and vehicle theft.

The police announced that the focus will be on dismantling organised crime groups, targeting economic crimes that impact livelihoods and cracking down on drug-related offences. Officials emphasised that many of these operations are no longer isolated incidents, but instead coordinated by country or region and structured as illegal enterprises.

To respond effectively, joint investigation teams composed of national and local police officers will be deployed from the early stages of any criminal incidents involving organised foreign groups.

Authorities also plan to seize illicit assets before indictments are issued, and to disrupt the flow of criminal proceeds back into organisations’ operating funds. Cross-border cooperation, including coordination with Interpol, will be used to trace and identify criminal actors operating beyond South Korea’s borders.

At the same time, the Korean National Police Agency is promoting stronger protections for undocumented foreign nationals who are victims of crime. Through the “Exemption from Mandatory Reporting to Immigration Authorities” system, police are not obligated to report undocumented individuals who come forward as crime victims. The goal is to ensure that fear of deportation does not prevent people from reporting offences.

The agency is also offering rewards for credible tips related to international crime and has pledged to strictly protect informants’ identities.

South Korea had approximately 2.65 million foreign nationals staying in the country in 2024, including about 397,500 undocumented or overstayed individuals. The number declined in 2021 due to COVID-19, dropping to 1.96 million, but has since increased over three consecutive years – reaching 2.25 million in 2022 and 2.51 million in 2023.

Crime statistics show a similar trend. According to the National Office of Investigation, the number of foreign nationals suspected of criminal activity decreased from 35,390 in 2020 to 29,450 in 2021, before rising again to 39,540 in 2022. It dropped to 32,737 in 2023 and then rose to 35,283 in 2024.

While these individuals represent a small share of the overall foreign population in South Korea, police say the nature and organization of some offences warrant increased scrutiny and coordinated enforcement. — THE KOREA HERALD