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Korea needs to pass legislation to formalize the current system that grants temporary residency to undocumented children of foreign national parents — many of whom are staying in the country as illegal immigrants — before it expires at the end of this month, an international nongovernmental organization said Tuesday.

"We urge the [Korean] government to prepare practical and specific criteria for screening status of residence and to prepare a system that considers the best interests of children as soon as possible," Save the Children said in a statement.

"As the government recognized the usefulness and feasibility of implementing the system during the questioning session at the National Assembly last month, all it has to do is supplement the current policy and guarantee the rights of migrant children in a full system,” the group said.

Undocumented migrant children refer to those who have moved to Korea with their immigrant parents or were born in the country but are not legally eligible for residence due to a variety of reasons, such as the loss of their parents' residency or failure to apply for refugee status.

The Justice Ministry estimates the number of undocumented migrant children to be 3,400, while the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and other relevant civic groups believe the actual figure is closer to 20,000.

Introduced in April 2021, the temporary residence status system allowed such undocumented newborns and children up to the age of 19 to stay with their parents temporarily in Korea. However, the system is set to expire on March 31.

"We need to stop erasing the existence of children living next to us because their parents do not have valid status of stay,” the group said.

Unlike their Korean peers, such young children have limited access to education and other social services.

The humanitarian organization noted that Korea ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991, which legally ensures the rights of children under 18, including access to education.

"All children should be able to learn at school and prepare for the future regardless of nationality or status of residence, and it is the responsibility of the government to properly protect and provide support for children born or growing up in Korea," the group said.

Undocumented migrant children are not issued foreign national registration numbers, which often prevents them from having a mobile phone, a bank account or subscribing to health insurance. Many are hesitant to report crimes due to the fear of forced eviction.