A migrant worker is seen working at a factory in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in this Oct. 21, 2021 file photo. The causes of deaths have not been established for a significantly large portion of foreigners who died in Korea in recent years, government data shows. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

The government has failed to establish the causes of more than 40 percent of deaths of foreign nationals who died in Korea in recent years, a Ministry of Justice report shows.

According to the report disclosed Saturday by Rep. Cha Gyu-geun of the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party, 15,325 foreign nationals died in Korea between 2018 and 2022.

A total of 7,698 of them, or 50 percent, were confirmed to have died of disease, followed by car accidents (211), natural causes (177), falling (155), self-harm (152), natural disasters (71), drowning (61), homicides (19) and addiction (10).

Most notably, a staggering 44.2 percent, or 6,771 deaths, were attributed to "other" causes, meaning the reasons were unclear. This figure is significantly higher compared to the number of deaths among Korean nationals.

According to data released by Statistics Korea, the No. 1 cause of death of Koreans in 2022 was cancer, followed by heart disease, COVID-19 and pneumonia. "Others" are not among the top 10 causes listed.

The revelation of the causes of deaths among non-Korean citizens here comes as the government is stepping up efforts to attract more foreign workers.

According to ministry data, the number of foreign residents in the country surpassed 2.5 million last year, including those staying here illegally. This figure is expected to continue to increase as the government is trying to fill Korea's growing labor void with workers from other countries amid its persistently low birthrate.

The poorly managed data suggests that Korea is not ready to embrace such newcomers yet, according to the lawmaker.

"The ministry has announced its policies in regard to foreign residents as it is preparing for a new era of 3 million such people here. But it appears to have not been ready to protect their human rights or to integrate them into society," Cha said in a statement.

Statistical data about what causes their deaths is basic, essential information policymakers would need to protect and manage them, he noted, adding that Statistics Korea should take charge of the task to collect more accurate, detailed data.

Currently, data regarding foreigners is mostly compiled by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. This includes information about the people working here through the Employment Permit System as well as statistics about industrial accidents and insurances covering them.