Over 1,600 emergency passports issued by missions in Japan as crimes, incidents climb with rising tourism
The surge is attributed to increased travel due to the weak yen, with a substantial proportion of issuances due to lost or stolen passports.
A traveler holds their Korean passport in their hands at the Incheon International Airport on July 1.
NEWS1
The number of emergency passports issued by Korean diplomatic missions in Japan has surged as more Korean tourists visit the country. More than 1,600 emergency passports have been issued in the first seven months of this year, and the annual figure is expected to approach 3,000 if the current pace continues.
Korean missions in Japan issued 2,086 emergency passports in 2023, more than triple the 661 issued in 2022, according to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs obtained by Rep. Lee Ki-heon of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, on Friday.
The figure rose to 2,415 in 2024 and stood at 2,393 last year. A total of 1,638 emergency passports were issued from January through July this year.
Emergency passports can be issued to people who do not have enough time to obtain a regular passport because of urgent circumstances while overseas, such as a lost or stolen passport.
The rise in emergency passport issuances in Japan is likely to be related to a sharp increase in Korean travelers, which has been driven in part by the weak yen.
The five overseas Korean diplomatic missions that issued the most emergency passports last year were the Korean Embassy in Japan, the Korean Consulate General in Osaka, the Korean Consulate General in Barcelona, the Korean Embassy in Italy and the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles.
The number of Koreans who were victims of crimes and accidents in Japan has also risen sharply, from 348 in 2022 to 1,393 in 2023, then to 2,348 in 2024 and 3,090 last year. In the first half of this year alone, 1,784 Koreans were reported as victims of crimes and accidents.
A substantial proportion of people receiving emergency passports from overseas diplomatic missions had their passports stolen or lost in connection with crimes or accidents while abroad.
Emergency passport issuances in Cambodia also rose sharply during a period when problems involving local criminal organizations were spreading.
The Korean Embassy in Cambodia issued 31 emergency passports in 2022 and 88 in 2023. The figure jumped to 190 in 2024 and remained high at 186 last year. Issuances fell sharply to 23 from January through July this year, however, as authorities stepped up crackdowns on scam operations.
“The increase in emergency passport issuances overseas could be an early warning sign of problems involving the safety of our citizens, so it should not be dismissed as mere statistics,” Lee said. “The Foreign Ministry should closely monitor regions such as Japan where issuances have surged and take necessary safety measures.”
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
