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| Illegal aliens are rounded up by immigration officials in Korea. Yonhap |
By Oh Young-jin
The number of foreigners staying in Korea illegally exceeded 350,000 last year, up 41.5 percent from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Justice.
The conservative Chosun Ilbo cited unidentified sources to indicate that an increase in the minimum wages was related to the rise.
But the ministry shot down such a correlation, one official telling the paper, "Rather than the minimum wage rise, a more plausible factor is a wider opening for foreigners to come and visit last year through the PyeongChang Winter Olympics."
In 2017, illegal aliens numbered about 251,000. In 2010, they numbered 169,000, meaning the number has doubled in 10 years.
Previously, most illegal aliens were those who overstayed their one-year work visa but some argue that last year many came to Korea on a visit and found jobs, being lured by better wages. Those making this argument cited a 58 percent rise in those who overstayed their short-term tour visit from 160,000 to 264,000 on a year-to-year basis.
For this year, the hourly minimum wage is 8,350 won or $7.37, up from 7,350 won in 2018. The monthly wage for 2019 is 1,745,150 won.
