Refugees in South Korea

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South Korea joined the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1992 and became the first country in East Asia to enact its own refugee law in 2012. [1] According to the Ministry of Justice in South Korea, there has been 12,208 asylum applicants since 1992 and it accepted 522 (4.2% of the total applicants) as refugees. [2] The UNHCR categorized 44 industrialized countries in the world as refugees receiving countries.[ citation needed ] South Korea is one of the receiving countries in Asia-Pacific including Japan. The number of asylum applications in 2013 has increased by 85%; however, according to the Ministry of Justice in South Korea, the acceptance rate of refugees is 7.3% at the end of 2014. [3] UNHCR said among the Parties relating to the Status of Refugees, 38% of asylum seekers were accepted as refugees, which is Korea's acceptance is much lower than international standards. [4] The top nationality of asylum seekers in Korea is Pakistan (2,017) since 1994. The top three nationalities of people accepted as a refugee are Myanmar (154), Bangladesh (84), and Ethiopia (73). Refugees in Myanmar were accepted as a refugee because of political reasons but the number of refugees has decreased as the political situation in Myanmar has improved. [5]

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The process of asylum applicants is very complicated in South Korea. Asylum seekers in South Korea are not allowed to get a job for the first 6 months, which prevent illegal stay for getting a job. They are not in the public health insurance system, as well. The Korean government supports living expenses to asylum seekers, but for only 7% of them because of a lack of budget. It takes over a year to be categorised as a refugee. [5] The asylum seekers have to be permitted to extend their residence for every 6 months, a year for people who are staying under humanitarian grounds. [6] However, it is hard to be performed precisely because there is not enough human resources for status determination. [7]

In 2018, 500 refugees fleeing the civil war in Yemen came to Jeju Island, causing unease among some of the residents of Jeju Island. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] Among many activist groups and celebrities, Jung Woo-sung raised attention to the situation of the refugees and reaffirmed his support to them. [14] [15]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Organization for Migration</span> Intergovernmental organization

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeju Province</span> Special Self-Governing Province of South Korea

Jeju Province, officially Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, is the southernmost province of South Korea, consisting of eight inhabited and 55 uninhabited islands, including Mara Island, U Island, the Chuja Archipelago, and the country's largest island, Jeju Island. The province is located in the Korea Strait, with the Korean Peninsula to the northwest, Japan to the east, and China to the west. The province has two cities: the capital Jeju City, on the northern half of the island and Seogwipo, on the southern half of the island. The island is home to the shield volcano Hallasan, the highest point in South Korea. Jeju and Korean are the official languages of the province, and the vast majority of residents are bilingual.

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Events in the year 2018 in South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugees on Jeju Island</span> Refugees who fled the Yemeni Civil War

The Refugees on Jeju Island are less than 552 Yemenis, mostly men, who traveled to South Korea as tourists, then claimed asylum on Jeju Island throughout 2016 to 2018. They are staying on the island under refugee status determination, which led to controversy in South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cho Kyoung-tae</span> South Korean politician

Cho Kyoung-tae is a South Korean politician.

The Basic Income Party is a single-issue political party in South Korea advocating for a universal basic income (UBI). For the 2024 Parliamentary election, the Basic Income Party has formed a coalition with the Open Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party, to form the New Progressive Alliance. The Basic Income Party will revert to its original name after the election.

References

  1. ↑ "South Korea: New Beacon for Refugees". Yaleglobal Online. 2013-09-12.
  2. ↑ ""한국은 난민에게 인색한 나라?"…난민제도에 대한 오해와 진실(Misunderstanding and truth towards Refugees policies in South Korea)". 아시아투데이(Asiatoday). 2015-10-14.
  3. ↑ "유럽의 시리아 난민 사태, 먼 나라 이야기일까(European Refugees crisis, there is no connection to Korea?)". 브레인미디어(Brainmedia). 2015-09-07.
  4. ↑ "난민 신청 5년새 10배 늘었는데…인정률은 고작 0.9%(Asylum seekers has been increased to 10 times, the acceptance is only 0.9%)". 한국경제(Hankyung. 2015-09-08.
  5. 1 2 "난민 신청 100명 중 인정 5명도 안 돼, 문턱 높은 한국(less than 5% of acceptance rate as a refugee)". 평화신문. 2015-10-11.
  6. ↑ "지중해 난민선처럼… 아무도 구하려 하지 않는 한국의 난민들 (There is no safety on Refugees in South Korea)". Hankook Ilbo(Hankook ilbo). 2015-05-06.
  7. ↑ "S 테러 공포 확산, 한국 난민 정책에 대한 의견 분분(Controversy on Refugee policy in South Korea)". 아시아투데이(Asia Today). 2015-11-23.
  8. ↑ Murphy, Brian (22 June 2018). "How hundreds of Yemenis fleeing the world's worst humanitarian crisis ended up on a resort island in South Korea". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  9. ↑ "South Koreans outraged as 500 Yemeni refugees flee to island". Financial Times. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "Yemeni refugees' fate tested on Jeju Island". Korea Times. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  11. ↑ "South Korea to tighten laws amid influx of Yemeni asylum-seekers to resort island of Jeju". Straits Times. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "Justice Ministry proposes reinforcement measures to amend refugee act". The Korea Herald . 29 June 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "제주 온 예멘인 500여 명 난민 신청..엇갈리는 시선". 다음 뉴스 (in Korean). 2018-06-19. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "[JEJU FORUM] Actor brings attention to refugees' plight". Korea JoongAng Daily . 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  15. ↑ Dong Sun-hwa (2018-10-22). "Actor Jung Woo-sung reaffirms support for refugees". The Korea Times . Retrieved 2018-11-15.
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