A large number of foreign delivery riders have been caught working without proper qualifications by stealing the identities of Korean nationals.

The Ministry of Justice announced that as a result of a crackdown on illegal foreign delivery riders conducted from January to May of this year, 734 foreigners who used stolen Korean identities and 16 delivery businesses that hired them were caught.

This figure is approximately 11 times the number of individuals caught during the entire year of last year.

It was revealed that they exploited weak identity verification procedures in delivery rider apps, allowing them to sign up and work as riders under Korean names despite being foreign nationals.

In one instance, a business owner in Seoul rented out a delivery app account for Korean riders, which was obtained from an acquaintance, to 67 foreigners. The owner illegally hired them as delivery riders, charging each person 200,000 to 250,000 won per month.

By nationality, Vietnamese nationals accounted for the largest share of illegal foreign delivery riders at 444, or 61 percent, followed by those from China and Uzbekistan.

Notably, international students holding student visas made up more than half, with 410 individuals.

Taking into account the severity of the violations, the duration of illegal employment, and their residency status, the Ministry of Justice ordered 68 individuals to leave the country, including through forced deportation, and imposed fines on 643 others.

Investigations are ongoing for the remaining 20 individuals.

Among them, two were referred for prosecution, and one person, confirmed to be a wanted criminal, was handed over to the police.

The authorities plan to request a police investigation for 15 individuals confirmed to be driving without a license after conducting supplementary investigations.

The Ministry of Justice stated, "We will strengthen investigations not only into illegal foreign delivery riders but also into brokers who provide identities, in order to fundamentally block the environment that leads to illegal delivery activities."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Kim Bok-hyung | Graphics by Lee Soo-min | Produced by SBS Digital News