South Korea records sharp rise in fraud targeting foreign nationals

The number of foreign nationals falling victim to fraud in South Korea has nearly quadrupled in just two years, a lawmaker said on Sunday, citing data from the National Police Agency. The number of foreign victims of fraud rose from 5,307 in 2023 to 8,671 in 2024, before surging to 19,907 in 2025, according to Kim Joon-hwan of the ruling Democratic Party. Many reported cases involved overseas fans of Korean pop culture, or ‘hallyu’, where scammers approached fans offering merchandise related to K-pop stars and then disappeared after receiving payment. Among crimes targeting foreigners reported on 12-13 June, when a BTS concert was held in the southeastern city of Busan, three out of five reported crimes were fraud cases. Data showed the total number of foreign victims of all types of crime jumped 81.7 percent over the two-year period, from 28,048 in 2023 to 50,975 in 2025. The lawmaker called for efforts to prevent crimes targeting foreign nationals amid a sharp rise in foreign tourists visiting South Korea. The number of foreign visitors to South Korea surged 71.7 percent over two years, from 11 million in 2023 to 18.9 million in 2025, according to government tourism data.