One in five international residents in South Korea are living in the country illegally.

According to the Korea Immigration Service on Thursday, the number of foreigners in the country without a valid visa topped 395-thousand as of July, accounting for 19-point-nine percent of all non-Korean residents in South Korea.

Experts attributed the rise to the prolonged pandemic, which made it more difficult for some to return home or find a job upon their return. They said the latest figures reflect a steady accumulation of foreigners who opted to stay in the country even after their permits had expired.

Some experts noted that increased crackdowns on illegal migrants were ineffective and instead advocated for strengthening visa issuance procedures and expanding legal recruitment for workers from overseas to meet labor demands in sectors in dire need such as the agriculture and fisheries industries.

The number of undocumented foreigners this year is the second-largest on record after the reported number in September of 2020, which stood at around 396-thousand amid a spike in COVID-19 infections.