About 13,000 illegal immigrants left South Korea through a crackdown and the voluntary departure program over the past two months, the Ministry of Justice said Wednesday.

The government has resumed its crackdown on foreigners staying or working illegally here since last October after a pause due to COVID-19.

The latest crackdown from March 2 to April 30 was mainly conducted in fields that can cause social harm, such as entertainment services, and in industries closely linked to local people's jobs, such as logistics and delivery, it noted.

A total of 7,578 undocumented migrant workers were caught in the crackdown, and 6,863 of them were forced or ordered to leave the country, the ministry said, adding 208 others were fined and the rest are under investigation.

The ministry said an additional 5,247 illegal migrants left the country through the voluntary departure program, in which a fine exemption and suspension of entry restrictions are granted.

In addition, fines were imposed on 1,701 employers caught hiring illegal migrants and 12 illegal employment brokers.

The ministry said it has reduced the number of illegal immigrants by 25,000 by April through the regular illegal stay crackdown system that was in operation since the beginning of this year. (Yonhap)