Key facts
- Foreign scam victims in South Korea increased from 5,307 in 2023 to 19,907 in 2024.
- The number of foreigners falling victim to all crimes rose 81.7% over two years.
- Many scams involved K-pop merchandise, targeting fans of Korean pop culture.
- Foreign tourist arrivals in South Korea increased by 71.7% from 2023 to 2024.
The number of foreigners who fell victim to fraud in South Korea has nearly quadrupled in two years, a lawmaker stated, citing data from the National Police Agency. Foreign scam victims rose from 5,307 in 2023 to 8,671 in 2024, and surged to 19,907 last year.
Many of these cases reportedly involved overseas fans of Korean pop culture, known as 'hallyu,' where scammers offered K-pop merchandise and disappeared after receiving payment. During a two-day period in June, when K-pop group BTS held a concert in Busan, three out of five reported crimes targeting foreigners were scam cases.
Overall, the number of foreigners falling victim to all crime cases increased by 81.7% over the past two years, from 28,048 in 2023 to 50,975 last year. Lawmaker Kim Joon-hwan of the ruling Democratic Party called for preventative measures amid a sharp rise in foreign tourist arrivals, which jumped 71.7% from 11 million in 2023 to 18.9 million last year.