Foreigners Owe Record 37.5 billion Won in South Korean Health Insurance Premiums
A government report shows that foreigners and overseas Koreans owe 37.5 billion won in unpaid health insurance premiums as of the end of 2025.
According to a National Assembly Budget Office report, unpaid health insurance contributions from foreigners and overseas Koreans totalled 37.5 billion won by the end of 2025, a 42 percent jump from 2021. The count of delinquent households climbed 58.1 percent to 34,349, with 33,725 foreign-national households responsible for 34.4 billion won of the debt. In the previous five years, 134,505 cases amounting to 47.7 billion won were written off as unrecoverable.
Current law suspends benefits for insured persons abroad, but some foreign workers leave behind registration cards, enabling identity misuse for medical treatment and costly prescription drugs sent overseas. The report urges stronger collection before departures and a monitoring system to track residency changes and promptly suspend benefits. These steps aim to curb future write-offs as insured individuals leave the country.
Why it matters
Rising unpaid premiums threaten the sustainability of South Korea's universal health system and expose fraud risks.
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