Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Real Reality]

Crimes involving foreigners increased sharply in 2004 as more alien workers overstayed their visas, police said Friday.

Such crimes rose 48.2 percent to 9,103 last year from 6,144 a year ago, the National Police Agency said. The number of cases almost doubles the 5,221 committed in 2002.

Sophisticated crimes like scams and forgeries rose more than two-fold, from 834 in 2003 to 1,965 last year. Meanwhile, murders and drug-related crimes surged by 87 percent and 82 percent, respectively, to 120 and 218 instances.

Police saw a correlation between the burst of criminal activity and the increasing number of illegal aliens.

The number of visitors who overstayed their visas hit 289,000 in 2002, but fell to about 138,000 at the end of 2003 following a move by the government to legalize their status.

Despite South Korea's plan to reduce the number of illegal foreign residents to below 100,000, it climbed up again last year by 50,000 people. Police say illegal foreigners are apt to engage in criminal activity because of their job instability. Once they go into hiding after violating the law it is difficult for police to trace them.

"More and more illegal foreign residents forge their documents or get involved in fake marriages to overstay in South Korea," a police officer said on condition of anonymity. "There are limits to our ability to apprehend them as the size of our force responsible for crimes by foreigners has not changed for some years."
Yonhap News (February 11, 2005)
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050211/320000000020050211100629E4.html

[thorin]

120 foreigners killed somebody? Cool.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Seriously? Wouldn't it have made the papers a bit more often? Besides, they probably had it coming.

[vlcupper]

Our days are numbered. Soon they'll be burning ESL teachers in effigy. We'll all be chased with pitchforks.

[diver]

Well...I guess the GIs can take a bit of a breather for the next little while as the ESL community takes its turn as the most evil thing to happen to Korea since the last evil thing to hit Korea..

One day we'll be standing forlornly outside a club, while GIs frolick inside, because of the 'No English Teachers' policy put in place.

[itaewonguy]

Again its koreans trying to push the blame on foreigners..
now I am sure some foreigners do crimes here.. As Koreans do ALOT or CRIME in our countries.. but I just hate it when they try to come across as foreigners are the big crime , and trouble makers here..

[whatthefunk]

They surge every year. Its great how they dont say where the foreigners came from....jsut foregners. I doubt many english teachers have been accused of murder although I do question the motives behind some of the members of this board. I bet its mostly impoverished people from SE Asia and China. Not to be racist or anything.

[Guri Guy]

This is typical Korean bullsh*t. Blame the foreigners. Koreans and Korean money hungry companies want illegal 3D workers here. They are cheap labour and by being illegal, who the hell are they going to complain to? This is so pathetic, it's not even funny. Korea trying to paint itself as a victim. Get real Korea. *hic*

[hari seldon]

I'm amazed by all of the heinous crimes committed by hagwon teachers. For example, I've been accused of giving my students homework that was too hard.

[chiaa]

Does anyone find it interesting that murders and drugs are counted together????


Lightiing one up and killing someone are quite different.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I'd like to know a couple of things:

a) what are the comparable statistics for Koreans?

b) how many foreigners are victims of crimes?

I have to wonder if that 120 murders is correct.

At least this article didn't report that parking violations as crimes. I've seen articles in the past that did.

[Real Reality]

USFK Crimes Drop Amid Skyrocketing Crime by Foreigners
Crimes committed by foreign residents in Korea skyrocketed last year, but there was a sharp drop in abuses by USFK personnel.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200502/200502110016.html

Recent statistics for five major crimes -- murder, robbery, rape, burglary and assault -- show that even though the economic crisis is over, the crime rate is still high. The number of these horrible crimes was 330,000 in 1998 but increased to 470,000 last year.

Arson, a crime often triggered by anger, has not decreased. Arsons increased by 50 percent in 1998 over 1997 and have continued to rise since then.
by Lee Kyu-yeon
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200302/24/200302242230197609900090109012.html
English-Korean
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200302/24/200302242228533679900090809081.html

According to Namdaemun district police, among the 6,037 crimes reported to that district last year, 1,160 were related to homeless citizens. The number of homeless sleeping in Seoul Station has increased to 300, a 30 percent increase from earlier this year, police said. Police fear such increases could raise the crime rate.
by Yoon Chang-hee
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200306/27/200306270013240609900090409041.html

Singapore's crime rate compares favourably with those in Japan. In 1991, the rate of 1,934 per 100,000 population in Singapore was lower than Osaka (2,810) and Tokyo (2,427). Only three cities in Japan, namely Kyoto, Kobe and Yokohama have lower crime rate than Singapore. Compared to Seoul in Korea (2,846), Singapore has lower incidence of crime.
http://www.singstat.gov.sg/ssn/feat/4Q94/feat.html

Crime: Murders
1. India 37,170
2. Russia 28,904
3. Colombia 26,539
4. South Africa 21,995
5. Mexico 13,829
6. United States 12,658
7. Venezuela 8,022
8. Thailand 5,140
9. Ukraine 4,418
10. Indonesia 2,204
11. Poland 2,170
12. France 1051
13. Belarus 1013
14. Germany 960
15. Korea, South 955
16. Zimbabwe 912
17. Jamaica 887
18. United Kingdom 850
19. Zambia 797
20. Italy 746
21. Yemen 697
22. Japan 637
23. Romania 560
24. Malaysia 551
25. Spain 494
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_mur

Crime: Manslaughters
1. Mexico 18,115
2. South Africa 10,961
3. India 3,912
4. Korea, South 3,737
5. Turkey 2,175
6. Italy 1871
7. Russia 1674
8. Romania 1276
9. Zimbabwe 969
10. Costa Rica 580
11. Japan 511
12. Indonesia 420
13. Ukraine 335
14. Australia 296
15. Thailand 230
16. Poland 190
17. Yemen 129
18. Bulgaria 112
19. Portugal 99
20. Spain 95
21. Belarus 83
22. Czech Republic 80
23. Tunisia 58
24. Canada 52
25. Norway 41
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_man

[Derrek]

Ok, the thing that's got me is what the article said about, "fake marriages."

What exactly is that?

How would a "fake marriage" be of any interest to an illegal, other than given them a place to be found?

I know that many Koreans get married, but don't notify the gov't, therefore making divorce easier.

Is that a "fake marriage?"

If so, is it only a "fake marriage" if it involves a foreigner?

[JongnoGuru]

[PolyChronic Time Girl]

Hmmm... that clueless 22-year old who overstays his/her visa for a couple days....seems like Korea thinks they are the same as a deranged foreign dude who chops up his/her hagwon boss. I bet immigration has a special torture-dungeon for those evil visa-overstayers.
Furthmore, the first sentence of the article mentions "crimes and visa-overstays" in the first sentence....mind you, in journalism, the first sentence is supposed to be the most dramatic and eye-catching. The article seems to mention the evils of fake marriages and visa overstays and little mentions "real" crimes like murder, rape.
Seems to Korea that visa-overstays is the worst crime you can commit against its country