31,665 foreign students in South Korea were staying without authorization — Korea Herald
As of August 2026, 31,665 foreign students who entered South Korea on visas for education or language training were staying in the country without legal grounds. This was reported by Korea Herald, citing Justice Ministry data obtained by Kim Hee-jung, a lawmaker from the People Power Party.
Difference between visa types
Of the total, 21,719 people arrived on D-4 visas intended for language training, while another 9,946 held D-2 visas for university programs. The share of those staying without authorization was 29.2% among D-4 holders, compared with 3.6% among D-2 holders.
The rate among language-program participants increased from 25.3% in 2025 to 29.2% in August 2026. At the same time, the total number of foreign language-course participants, including those without legal residency status, fell from 89,267 last year to 74,450 in August.
Among university-program students, the rate of unauthorized stays, by contrast, declined from 7% in 2022 to 3.6% in August 2026. During this period, the number of foreigners with D-2 visas more than doubled.
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The largest share is Vietnamese citizens
Vietnamese citizens accounted for 82.8% of all foreign students staying in the country without proper authorization. They were followed by citizens of Uzbekistan, with 2,033 people; Mongolia, with 1,353; China, with 731; and Nepal, with 316. According to the Education Ministry, in April 2026 Vietnamese students accounted for 46.1% of all foreigners enrolled in non-degree programs.
More reports from universities
The number of new unauthorized-stay cases reported by Korean universities increased by 12.2%, from 3,631 in 2025 to 4,074 in 2026. They included 1,872 university-program students and 2,202 language-course participants.
Of the country’s 344 universities, 190 institutions reported such cases among university-program students, compared with 182 last year. The number of universities reporting cases among language-program participants rose from 186 to 208. The highest number of new cases was recorded in Gyeonggi Province, at 994, while North Chungcheong Province saw the sharpest increase, from 134 to 346.
