Delivery agency operator accused of employing 67 foreign nationals illegally
Published: 14 Apr. 2026, 16:39
Updated: 14 Apr. 2026, 17:12
![A police officer talks to a motorbike rider in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on July 15, 2025. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/14/6321a53a-1e6e-40a9-92ee-91451e96ea75.jpg)
A police officer talks to a motorbike rider in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on July 15, 2025. [YONHAP]
A delivery agency operator was sent to prosecutors for allegedly illegally employing 67 foreign nationals as delivery riders using borrowed Korean accounts, then taking illegal gains as "account usage fees," according to immigration authorities Tuesday.
The case comes as immigration investigators widen a crackdown on foreign nationals working illegally in the delivery industry under borrowed identities.
The operator was referred to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office without detention on alleged violations of the Immigration Act, according to the Seoul Immigration Office.
The operator is accused of creating accounts on delivery service platforms using their acquaintances' names, then lending the accounts to 67 foreign nationals and having them work illegally as riders from May last year to January this year, according to the Seoul Immigration Office. The workers included international students and others who were not allowed to take delivery jobs.
![A delivery driver in Gwangju drives his motorbike on July 2, 2025. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/14/da1f5e03-3a05-4699-b811-45a0a77232dc.jpg)
A delivery driver in Gwangju drives his motorbike on July 2, 2025. [YONHAP]
The operator took a 5.5 percent cut from the workers’ delivery earnings in exchange for the borrowed accounts and separately collected a monthly identity-use fee of 200,000 won to 250,000 won ($135 to $169) from each person, earning a total of 140 million won in illicit gains, according to investigators.
As the larger delivery volume results in higher profits, the suspect specifically targeted foreigners on social media who were willing to make nighttime deliveries and answer delivery calls promptly.
Some of the foreign nationals illegally employed by the operator were international students or people with job-seeking status, making them ineligible to work as delivery riders, according to investigators. Some were also found to have driven motorcycles without licenses or insurance.
Strict measures will also be taken against the 67 foreign nationals caught in the case, including deportation and fines under the Immigration Act, according to the investigation unit.
The unit has been investigating foreign riders and delivery agencies since December as more foreign nationals have been found illegally taking delivery jobs under other people’s names, according to immigration authorities.
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.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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