Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
Illegal employment of foreign workers surges in delivery sector
A delivery rider picks up food from a restaurant in Seoul, June 19, 2025. Newsis
By Jung Da-hyun
Loophole allows foreign riders to circumvent employment rules via proxy accounts
Korea’s delivery sector is rapidly becoming a major channel for the illegal employment of foreign workers, according to the Ministry of Justice.
The trend has also raised concerns about safety because of inadequate checks on licenses and insurance, while domestic delivery riders say the growing competition is making it harder to secure delivery calls.
The ministry reported that the number of foreigners caught working illegally in the delivery and courier sector surged from 117 in 2023 to 486 last year.
Under current regulations, delivery work is permitted only for foreigners holding certain residency statuses, including the F-2 resident visa, F-5 permanent resident visa and F-6 marriage visa. However, cases continue to emerge of foreigners working as delivery riders while on nonprofessional employment visas like E-9 or student visas like D-2.
Many foreign riders circumvent restrictions by using accounts registered under Korean citizens’ names. Delivery agencies reportedly secure multiple accounts under Korean identities and rent them to foreign riders for monthly fees of 200,000 to 300,000 won ($136 to $204).
Major delivery platforms restrict account registration by foreigners. However, some riders bypass the system by logging into Korean-registered accounts and sharing authentication codes, even when using mobile phones registered under foreign names.
The main reason foreign workers are drawn to delivery jobs is the relatively high income.
According to data from delivery platform Barogo, full-time riders earn an average of 3.47 million won per month, while the top 20 percent can make between 5 million and 7 million won.
The high earnings have fueled posts on overseas online communities and social media promoting Korea’s delivery market. Some claim riders can make up to 400,000 won a day even without speaking Korean, if they rely on translation apps.
A major concern is that many foreign riders are operating without Korean driver’s licenses or insurance coverage.
“Safety concerns arise because many foreign riders are working without verified licenses or insurance,” said a staff member from Rider Union, Korea’s first labor union for delivery riders.
In addition, when riders operate without insurance, liability in the event of an accident can become unclear. Cases are also increasing of delivery errors caused by unfamiliarity with Korea’s address system, as well as inconveniences stemming from communication difficulties.
A Rider Union staff member warned that the growing number of illegal riders could continue to affect delivery opportunities for domestic riders who pay insurance and operate legally.
“If delivery platforms introduced systems that prevent identity theft, the problem could be addressed relatively easily. But because such measures have not been implemented, the situation appears to be getting worse,” he said.
Measures such as stronger identity verification, including facial recognition, have been suggested as possible solutions. However, delivery platform operators have been reluctant to adopt them, citing concerns over higher costs and the potential loss of riders.
The immigration division of the justice ministry acknowledged that stronger identity verification by platforms, along with tougher penalties for employers who hire foreign workers illegally, are needed. However, enforcement has limits due to the small number of inspectors available to track down illegal foreign riders.