Progressives slam Seoul over xenophobia

SEOUL: South Korean progressives accused the government of caving to xenophobic sentiment by rejecting a plea for refugee status by hundreds of asylum seekers from war-ravaged Yemen whose arrival on a resort island earlier this year triggered outrage.

Justice Party spokesman Choi Seok said South Korea was neglecting its responsibility as a member of the United Nations and letting public sentiment influence critical decisions on human rights.

“The Yemeni refugees have risked every danger to come to our country, just so that they could survive,” said Choi.

“It’s no different from the people of our own country half a century ago, when they wandered around foreign countries as refugees through war and division. We should no longer ignore the voices of people who seek to live.”

The justice ministry said it would not grant refugee status to nearly 400 Yemenis, instead saying it would issue one-year humanitarian stays to 339 of them.

The ministry rejected stay permits for 34 asylum seekers, who still could appeal, and postponed applications from 85 others for further interviews.

The ministry previously granted temporary stays to 23 Yemenis.

The Yemenis had arrived on Jeju using the island’s tourist policy that allows foreigners visafree entry for up to 30 days.

Thrown off by the flood of arrivals, South Korea excluded Yemenis from the no-visa benefits in June and banned the asylum seekers from leaving the island.