Violent crime is rare and theft is the usual complaint. What has grown fast is fraud: reports from foreign nationals nearly quadrupled between 2023 and 2025, most of it K-pop ticket and merchandise scams paid for in advance. On the street, the recurring approach is a friendly English-speaking stranger with a survey.
- Violent crime against foreigners is rare; the FCDO's warning is about theft in crowded and tourist areas such as Itaewon, and assault around nightlife.
- Fraud is the growth area. Reports from foreign nationals rose from 5,307 in 2023 to 19,907 in 2025.
- K-pop tickets and merchandise are the biggest single category - money is sent in advance to an intermediary who then disappears. Buy through official channels only.
- The street approach to watch is the survey. Well-presented, English-speaking strangers ask you to answer a few questions or take a personality test, then steer you towards a meeting elsewhere - this is how Korea's recruitment groups work.
- Decline invitations into private premises, however friendly and however plausible the pretext.
- Take care in bars you were led to rather than chose. The FCDO notes assaults around nightlife districts, and an unfamiliar, empty bar you were walked into is where the outsized bill appears.
What the risk actually is
South Korea is among the safest countries you can travel in. The FCDO's summary is that crime against foreigners is rare but there are occasional thefts - take care of passports, cards and money in crowded areas and in the districts foreigners frequent, such as Itaewon. It adds that while most reported crime is theft, there have been assaults, including sexual assault, particularly around bars and nightlife areas.
Fraud, which is where the numbers have moved
Reports of fraud by foreign nationals nearly quadrupled in two years - from 5,307 cases in 2023 to 19,907 in 2025, against visitor numbers that rose from 11.03 million to 18.94 million over the same period.
- K-pop tickets and merchandise are the dominant category. Overseas fans send money to someone in Korea to buy official merchandise or concert tickets on their behalf, and the seller disappears once paid. Around the BTS concerts in Busan on 12-13 June 2026, five of seven reported crimes against foreign nationals were scams of this kind.
- The rule is simple: pay only through official ticketing and official stores. An intermediary you found on social media has no accountability and no recourse.
The street approach
Groups recruiting for Korea's new religious movements work the streets of central Seoul, and foreigners are a deliberate target. The method is consistent: well-presented, English-speaking people ask you to complete a short survey, a personality test or to talk about Korean culture, then invite you on somewhere else to continue.
- Decline the follow-on invitation. Nothing you actually want to do requires being recruited on a pavement, and the pressure only starts once you are somewhere private.
- The same instinct covers the bar version. Being walked to a quiet, empty bar by someone who approached you is the setup for a bill you did not agree to. Choose your own venue.
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