Korea’s delivery sector is rapidly becoming a major channel for the illegal employment of foreign workers, according to the Ministry of Justice. The trend has also raised concerns about safety because of inadequate checks on licenses and insurance, while domestic delivery riders say the growing competition is making it harder to secure delivery calls. The ministry reported that the number of foreigners caught working illegally in the delivery and courier sector surged from 117 in 2023 to 486 last year. Under current regulations, delivery work is permitted only for foreigners holding certain residency statuses, including the F-2 resident visa, F-5 permanent resident visa and F-6 marriage visa. However, cases continue to emerge of foreigners working as delivery riders while on nonprofessional employment visas like E-9 or student visas like D-2. Many foreign riders circumvent restrictions by using accounts registered under Korean citizens’ names. Delivery agencies reportedly secure multiple accounts under Korean identities and rent them to foreign riders for monthly fees of 200,000 to 3