410 D-2 Students Found in Delivery Crackdown Involving Borrowed Accounts: What to Check Before Accepting Work

On July 7, the Ministry of Justice said it had identified 734 foreign delivery riders and 16 delivery outlets involved in deliveries made through other people’s accounts from January through May 2026. Of the riders, 410 were D-2 international students, representing 56%, and they were affiliated with 96 universities. These figures do not indicate a problem involving all international students or any particular nationality. The core issue in the crackdown was work outside the activities permitted to the individual and the use of platform accounts registered in someone else’s name.

Five-month total was about 11 times the previous full year

The ministry said the number identified in the five-month operation was about 11 times the 67 people found during all of 2025. Sixty-eight people were ordered to leave the country, while fines imposed on 643 people totaled KRW 1.6287 billion. Individual fines ranged from KRW 1 million to KRW 10 million. Twenty people remained under investigation, and 16 delivery outlet owners who provided accounts were also being investigated.

When a platform account is borrowed, the worker named in the contract, the rider identified by the app and the person actually performing the work may all be different. This is also why the ministry recommended that platforms introduce facial recognition and strengthen outlet management. An invitation to ‘try it first using a friend’s account’ is therefore not merely a matter of app convenience.

D-2 part-time work follows the sequence of contract, university confirmation and permission

Study in Korea describes the part-time employment procedure for international students as preparing an employment contract, obtaining a confirmation form from the university staff member responsible for international students, applying online or in person, and receiving approval or denial. It also states that working without permission or violating the conditions of permission may result in penalties.

If you receive a delivery-work offer, first check whether an employment contract in your own name correctly lists the workplace, duties, hourly wage and hours, and whether the university confirmation and immigration permission cover that contract. The platform account must then be registered to the person actually doing the work. This article does not say that every type of delivery work is always prohibited. But because this crackdown concerned activities performed without the required eligibility or permission while using other people’s accounts, one point is clear: do not borrow an account and begin work before checking the contract and permission documents.

Three things to stop and check when you receive an offer

If the workplace or duties change, it is safer not to assume that the existing permission still applies. The shortest verification path is to first confirm that the employment contract, university confirmation, permission document and platform account all name the same person.

Sources and scope of verification

The numbers identified, dispositions and recommendations to platforms were checked in the Ministry of Justice press release. The part-time employment procedure and guidance on violations were checked on Study in Korea, both on August 5, 2026. Whether a specific job may be permitted, and under what conditions, must be confirmed separately against the contract, the individual’s immigration status and guidance from the competent immigration office.