[Korea Herald] Korea’s refugee policy needs improvement

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Korea’s refugee policy needs improvement

2010-12-12 19:19

A mother frantically packs the family’s belongings; her husband desperately gathers the little savings they have; their daughter uncontrollably cries, startled by the sound of gunfire in the distance.

The sight of people running, the sound of screaming and the smell of smoke fill their senses.

They pay whoever they can, to take them as far away as they can.

The family of three arrives at Incheon International Airport and files a refugee claim with the Seoul Immigration Office, hoping for a speedy process.

The father, in order to provide his family with shelter before the frigid winter, illegally works in a factory outside of Seoul. He is barely able to support his family with minimum pay.

After three very long and hard years, they are denied their refugee claim, their appeal to the Justice Ministry and their appeal to the Seoul Administrative Court.

Seoul accepts one out of every 10 refugee claims. (UNHCR)

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As of January 2010, Korea houses 0.054 refugees per every 10,000 residents, while in the U.S. there are 8.9 refugees for every 10,000 inhabitants.

Up until recently the government largely saw refugees in a negative light as individuals who would disrupt society, says Choi Won-geun, a program manager at Nancen, a support group for refugees. 

For those who wish to be one of those 54 refugees for every 10 million Korean inhabitants, they must go through a process that could take as long as a year after filing their refugee status. During that year, asylum seekers are in a limbo where they are not given any form of aid by the government, but are also prohibited from working. 



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With the situation slowly changing, hopefully this will be a thing of the past.

According to the Justice Ministry, they have granted early work permits in extenuating circumstances, on recommendations from third party organizations like Nancen.

The Justice Ministry plans to establish a reception center in 2012 in Incheon, where they hope to provide those seeking asylum with the basic necessities of food and shelter.

Choi also agreed that refugee and asylum policies in Korea have got much better.

Nancen offers asylum seekers counseling and assistance, providing mothers with powdered milk, or introducing free clinics and non-profit lawyers.

They are funded by donations, and officials at the immigration office give out their number unofficially.

By Robert Lee (rjmlee@heraldm.com)