The foreign population in South Korea decreased for the 19th consecutive month in June, falling to the lowest point in five and a half years. 

According to data from the Justice Ministry on Wednesday, the total number of foreign residents in South Korea, including both long and short-term stays, stood at one-point-98 million as of June, down point-three percent from a month earlier. 

The figure marks the lowest since December 2015, when it reached one-point-89 million.

The foreign population hit a record high two-point-52 million in December 2019 before slipping by nearly 100-thousand in January 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19. 

In March of last year, the figure dropped to one-point-99 million to fall below the two-million mark for the first time in over five years.