How many Koreans were imprisoned overseas, and which countries had the most cases?

Rep. Kim Joon-hwan said 1,325 Korean nationals were held in prisons across 54 countries by the end of June. China had the most with 424 cases, followed by Japan with 254 and Vietnam with 204.

Why did the number of imprisoned Koreans abroad rise so sharply in Vietnam?

The data showed Vietnam had the sharpest increase, with imprisoned Koreans rising nearly fivefold from 42 in 2022 to 204 this year. The article does not give a specific reason for the surge beyond the foreign ministry figures cited by Kim Joon-hwan.

What crimes were most common among Koreans imprisoned overseas?

Fraud was the largest category at 332 cases, followed by drug-related crimes with 291 and murder with 128. The list also included gambling, theft, sexual assault or harassment, and 34 cases of kidnapping linked to organized crime and employment scams.

Number of Koreans imprisoned overseas up 25 % in 4 years: lawmaker

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Summary

Rep. Kim Joon-hwan said Korean citizens imprisoned overseas rose 25.6 percent over four years, reaching 1,325 people in 54 countries by the end of June. He cited foreign ministry data showing China had the most cases, while Vietnam posted the sharpest increase. Fraud was the largest crime category, followed by drug-related crimes and murder.

Key Facts

Rep. Kim Joon-hwan said 1,325 Korean nationals were held in prisons across 54 countries as of the end of June this year.
The figure was up 25.6 percent from 1,055 in 2022, according to data from the foreign ministry.
China had 424 cases, followed by Japan with 254, Vietnam with 204, the United States with 138, the Philippines with 61, Cambodia with 54 and Thailand with 43.
Vietnam recorded the sharpest increase, rising from 42 imprisoned Koreans in 2022 to 204 this year.
Fraud accounted for 332 cases, drug-related crimes for 291, murder for 128, gambling for 91, theft for 69 and sexual assault or harassment for 52.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 6, 2026 11:01 am KST
Updated Aug 6, 2026 6:01 pm KST

Korean nationals detained in Cambodia in relation to online job scams return to Korea through Incheon International Airport, Jan. 23. Korea Times photo by Park Ji-yeon

The number of Korean citizens imprisoned overseas has jumped more than 25 percent over the past four years, a ruling party lawmaker said Thursday, citing data from the foreign ministry.

Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said 1,325 Korean nationals were held in prisons across 54 countries as of the end of June this year, a 25.6 percent increase from 1,055 tallied in 2022.

By country, China topped the list with 424 cases, followed by Japan with 254, Vietnam with 204, the United States with 138, the Philippines with 61, Cambodia with 54 and Thailand with 43.

Vietnam saw the sharpest increase, with the number of imprisoned Koreans rising nearly fivefold from 42 in 2022 to 204 this year.

Of the total, fraud accounted for about a quarter with 332 cases, followed by drug-related crimes with 291, murder with 128, gambling with 91, theft with 69 and sexual assault or harassment with 52.

Thirty-four Koreans were also incarcerated on charges of kidnapping linked to organized crimes, including employment scams.

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