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 has 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 increased by 85%; however, according to the Ministry of Justice in South Korea, the acceptance rate of refugees was 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 Pakistani (2,017) since 1994. The top three nationalities of people accepted as a refugee are Myanmar (154), Bangladesh (84), and Ethiopia (73). Refugees from Myanmar were accepted 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 application for asylum 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 provides support for 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 for them. [14] [15]

See also

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

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations related organization working in the field of migration. The organization implements operational assistance programmes for migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers.

An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country, and makes in that other country a formal application for the right of asylum according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 14. A person keeps the status of asylum seeker until the right of asylum application has concluded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeju Province</span> 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 Marado, Udo, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugee camp</span> Temporary settlement for refugees

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Choi Sung-kuk</span> South Korean football player (born 1983)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jung Woo-sung</span> South Korean actor (born 1973)

Jung Woo-sung is a South Korean actor. Jung started his career as a fashion model, rising to stardom with the gangster film Beat (1997), for which he won Best New Actor at the 17th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards. He is a versatile actor known for playing leading roles in a wide spectrum of genres, including blockbusters: The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008), Cold Eyes (2013), The Divine Move (2014), The King (2017), Steel Rain (2017), Hunt (2022), 12.12: The Day (2023); dramas: City of the Rising Sun (1999) and Mutt Boy (2003); historical epic: Musa (2001); romance: A Moment to Remember (2004); crime thrillers: Asura: The City of Madness (2016) and Beasts Clawing at Straws (2020). His critically acclaimed film Innocent Witness (2019) won him the Grand Prize at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards. His notable TV drama credits include Asphalt Man (1995), for which he won Best New Actor at SBS Drama Awards and at the 32nd Baeksang Arts Awards (TV), Padam Padam (2011) and Tell Me That You Love Me (2023–24).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraqi diaspora</span>

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Since the late 1970s until the present, Iraq has witnessed numerous waves of refugees and emigrants due to significant events in its modern history. These events have led to the displacement of millions of Iraqis. These include over three decades of repression, periodic violent attacks, and massacres targeting the Kurdish population in the north and the Shi'a in the south, all carried out by Saddam Hussein's regime. Other factors include the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), the Gulf War of 1991, the prolonged economic sanctions until the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, and the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

Afghan diaspora refers to the Afghan people that reside and work outside of Afghanistan. They include natives and citizens of Afghanistan who have immigrated to other countries. The majority of the diaspora has been formed by Afghan refugees since the start of the Soviet–Afghan War in 1979; the largest numbers temporarily reside in Iran. As stateless refugees or asylum seekers, they are protected by the well-established non-refoulement principle and the U.N. Convention Against Torture. The ones having at least one American parent are further protected by United States laws.

Refugees of the Syrian civil war are citizens and permanent residents of Syria who have fled the country in the course of the Syrian civil war. The pre-war population of the Syrian Arab Republic was estimated at 22 million (2017), including permanent residents. Of that number, the United Nations (UN) identified 13.5 million (2016) as displaced persons in need of humanitarian assistance. Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011 more than six million (2016) were internally displaced, and around five million (2016) crossed into other countries, seeking asylum or placement in Syrian refugee camps. It is believed to be one of the world's largest refugee crises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 European migrant crisis</span> 2010s refugee crisis in the European Union

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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.

Wardah is a Yemeni restaurant in Jeju City, South Korea. It first opened on November 7, 2018. It was reported in 2019 that the restaurant is one of very few halal restaurants in Jeju Province. The restaurant is owned and operated by a couple: South Korean Ha Min-gyeong and Yemeni refugee Mohammad Al-Mamari ("Amin"). The restaurant is named for a nickname given to Ha by the local Yemeni community.

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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