More than 1 in 9 international students here became unauthorized residents by overstaying their visas or working beyond permitted levels, a recent study found, suggesting a shortcoming in the government’s focus on quantitative growth rather than sustainable integration. According to a report by Gangneung-Wonju National University associate professor Kim Gyu-chan, 34,267 people who had come to Korea to study at universities or language institutes overstayed their visas or worked beyond permitted levels in 2024. That number was more than five times the figure recorded in 2014 (6,782). Citing data from the Ministry of Justice, Kim said 9,580 of the students had previously held D-2 student visas, while 24,687 had D-4 language trainee visas. Among those visa holders, the proportion of foreign students who had overstayed their visas or worked beyond permitted levels rose from 7.8 percent in 2014 to 15.7 percent in 2022, before falling slightly to 11.6 percent in 2023 and 2024. “This suggests that while the overall number of foreign students has grown, the stability and legality of their s