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At the end of 2000, South Korea hosted approximately 350 refugees and asylum seekers. The majority (about 300) were North Korean refugees who entered South Korea during the year. The remaining 46 were asylum seekers from various countries—mostly China and Burma—whose claims were pending at year’s end, as well as one refugee recognized under the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The “defections” (as South Korea termed them) of about 300 North Koreans to South Korea was twice the number of “defections” in 1999.
In January, a high-ranking South Korean official reiterated that the government was ready to accept all North Koreans who want to relocate in the South. South Korean law stipulates that North Koreans should receive assistance at reception centers for one year with limited freedom of movement. Subsequently, the refugees should receive up to three years of additional “supervised” assistance, including food, accommodation, medical services, education, and job placement. However, according to news reports, the accommodation period often lasted only three months. UNHCR noted that North Koreans often experienced a “high degree of marginalization within South Korean society.”
Because the border separating the two Koreas—still technically at war with each other—remained tightly sealed, many North Koreans transited through China and other countries, such as Thailand or Burma, before going to South Korea.
South Korea’s generosity toward North Koreans did not extend to other asylum seekers. South Korea became a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention in 1992 and amended its immigration law in 1994 to permit individuals to file asylum claims with the government. However, the government has not approved any asylum claims since then (it does not require North Koreans to apply for asylum, although it takes steps to ascertain that the “defectors” are legitimate and not spies).
In addition, South Korea deported at least two asylum seekers in 2000. The first known case involved a Pakistani national who was detained for overstaying his visa and was under suspicion for involvement in illegal activities. He was deported in March 2000 without the Immigration Office ever having received his claim. The second asylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) underwent the standard pre-application medical examination, and it revealed he was HIV-positive. Ignoring UNHCR recommendations regarding asylum seekers with HIV/AIDS, the individual was deported to the DRC in December 2000.
According to UNHCR, South Korea ranks the lowest among the countries in the world in the ratio of population to refugees.
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South Korea
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