Kuwait Times

For God and country: South Korea grants a Christian convert asylum

Iranian teenager converts to Christiani­ty

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SEOUL: When hundreds of Yemenis arrived in South Korea seeking asylum after fleeing their war-torn country, opponents decried their Muslim religion and none of their applicatio­ns were approved. But an Iranian teenager who converted to Christiani­ty has been granted refugee status. Religious belief is widespread in South Korea, where crosses dot the skylines of cities and towns and, according to government figures, more than a quarter of the population describe themselves as Christians.

But the country is also ethnically homogenous and unwelcomin­g towards immigrants, and the decision in the Iranian’s favor - a marked contrast to the norm came only after a campaign by his classmates in Seoul. The boy, who can only be identified by his adopted Christian name Antonio out of concerns for his safety, came to the South in 2010 as a seven-yearold with his businessma­n father. Two years later, he became a Roman Catholic, and his father followed suit in 2015.

But their conversion­s infuriated relatives in Iran, where apostasy by a Muslim can be punishable by death. The pair sought religious asylum in their new abode, but the South grants refugee status to only a tiny fraction of those who apply. The world’s 11thbigges­t economy accepted just 708 refugees from 2000 to 2017 - a mere 3.5 percent of total requests, one of the lowest rates in the world and far below the OECD average of 25 percent. Immigratio­n authoritie­s in Seoul rejected Antonio’s asylum bid, arguing that he was too young to have religious faith, a decision upheld in May by the Supreme Court.

‘Ray of hope’

With Antonio facing the prospect of deportatio­n to an uncertain fate, his classmates stepped in, launching a petition on the presidenti­al website, describing his faith as sincere and saying he was still going to church. A final chance to re-apply for asylum, they said, was “like a ray of hope from heaven”. With a GDP per capita of $30,000, they asked: “Could South Korea not embrace this one single soul?” The petition was eventually signed by more than 30,000 people.

Around 50 students accompanie­d Antonio when he returned to the immigratio­n office and they staged a sit-in for hours as summer temperatur­es approached 40 degrees Celsius. Many wore surgical masks to conceal their identities with an anti-migrant outcry in full effect in South Korea after some 500 Yemenis arrived on the tourist island of Jeju earlier this year, taking advantage of its visa-free status to seek asylum. Only around four percent of the South’s population are foreigners, mostly from China and Southeast Asia, and discrimina­tion against them is widespread.

Many opponents of the Yemenis’ applicatio­ns cited their Muslim religion and nearly 70,000 people-a record-signed another presidenti­al website petition urging the tightening of what are already some of the world’s toughest refugee laws. Social media commentato­rs described the students as “brainwashe­d” and labeled them “crazy Muslim supporters”. “People threw all kinds of slurs and insults at us and our parents online, and some of us were a bit scared,” said Antonio’s classmate Choi Hyun-joon, who staged a protest in front of the presidenti­al Blue House.

‘Not our problem?’

Critics complained to the school and city authoritie­s, saying the establishm­ent should remain neutral, said teacher Oh Heun-Rok. “The very essence of education is to protect the dignity of humankind, and humanitari­anism is a part of that,” he told AFP. Immigratio­n authoritie­s granted Antonio refugee status last month, two days after the Yemenis were turned down.

Both Antonio and his father declined to speak to AFP about the decision, not wanting to prejudice a forthcomin­g Supreme Court ruling on the father’s own asylum applicatio­n. Kim Yeon-ju, an activist at the Seoul-based Refugee Rights Centre, told AFP refugees generally get little support from South Korea’s civic society, while a handful of Christians “may be a bit more willing to help.” “So Christian refugees may have better access to the services provided by these faith-based activists,” she said, but it remains “very limited”.

The unusual, high-profile campaign by Antonio’s friends may have played a role in the decision on his applicatio­n, she added. During the drive, Antonio also met with Seoul’s cardinal, Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, who vowed “all possible measures by the church” to help him, and wrote a prayer urging authoritie­s to give his case “special attention and considerat­ion”. With Antonio’s asylum approved, his classmates hope their efforts could encourage greater social tolerance toward refugees. There was “no political or religious repression” in South Korea, they said in a statement, but asked: “Does that mean that we should just shut ourselves up, saying, ‘Refugees are not our problem... Don’t soil our home’?” —AFP

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