86,000 Indonesians Residing in South Korea, Here’s Their Status as of March 2026

According to data from the South Korean Immigration Office (Korsel) processed by the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul (KBRI), there were 86,421 Indonesian citizens residing in that country as of March 2026.

In terms of residence status and permits, the largest group are migrant workers (PMI) with a total of 57,891 people. This accounts for nearly 67% of the total Indonesian citizens in South Korea.

There are also a significant number of Indonesian citizens living without legal permits or undocumented, amounting to 13,562 people.

In addition, there are students with a total of 3,468 people and others (mixed marriages and permanent residents) numbering 10,473 people.

The Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea, Cecep Herawan, said that the presence of Indonesian citizens in the Land of the Morning Calm continues to make a contribution.

"The contribution of the diaspora, immigrant workers, students, and the Indonesian community is one of the strong foundations of our people-to-people relations," said Cecep during a journalist visit with the Korea Foundation (KF) and the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) at the Indonesian Ambassador's Residence in Seoul on Tuesday (9/6/2026).

Cecep explained that employment cooperation in Korea is quite promising. He gave the example of cooperation in the shipping industry through vocational training. Not only do they receive high-standard training, but Indonesia also reaps investments estimated at up to Rp100 billion from this maritime project.

For Cecep, Indonesian citizens in South Korea and South Korean citizens in Indonesia must receive full protection. Therefore, a social security agreement between the two countries is important to be agreed upon.

"In the future, we are also working on a social security agreement between Indonesia and Korea to ensure that Indonesian citizens in Korea are fully protected and vice versa for Korean citizens in Indonesia," said Cecep.