Refugees In Korea Research Articles

Korea's Practice on Refugee Protection: Focusing on the Refugee Act and Relevant Court Cases

The Republic of Korea became the first country in East Asia to enact its own refugee law, which has been in force since 2013. While the enactment of the new Refugee Act provided a critical momentum for Korea's refugee policy to shift from mere immigration control to a more human rights–based approach, Korea has often come under fire for its low rate of refugee admittance. As the number of refugee applicants in Korea has drastically surged in recent years, there remain important issues such as improving the efficiency of the refugee admissions process. This article explores the key provisions of Korea's Refugee Act along with recent legislative proposals to amend the Refugee Act, and it highlights some court decisions related to refugee issues. By analyzing the relevant law, court cases, and government policies of Korea, this article explores the possibility of setting Korea up as a good exemplar of upholding the values of refugee protection in the Asian region.

Discourses on Islamic Refugees in the South Korean News: A Corpus-Based Approach

Considering the manner in which Korean news outlets express different socio-political positions by way of framing and re-constructing news, this study examines the extent to which Muslim refugees are framed and represented in major newspapers—Hankyoreh on the political left and Chosun Ilbo on the right—between January and November in 2018, when the issue of Muslim refugees received unprecedented attention in Korea. Through analysis of the custom-built corpora, this study identifies discursive practices of the media institutions in relation to Muslim refugees in Korea and explains these practices in terms of the socio-political orientation of each newspaper.

한국 내 무슬림 난민의 현황, 난민제도의 이해 및 한국 기독교 교회의 과제

Refugees have become high on the agenda in Korea after having sparked great concern worldwide last year. From 1994, when South Korea began to recognize refugees, to 2015, 15,250 people have applied for refugee status in Korea. However, just as in Europe, societal understanding of Muslims and refugees is lacking, despite the conspicuous increase of Muslim refugees from war in Syria and other countries. Rather, groundless fear hatred fills the country. Just as the Korean society is inexperienced in dealing with refugees, Korean churches also are unprepared to welcome and help refugees in their special circumstances. Korean churches have only approached refugees on the basis of their mission work with foreign immigrants. Consequently, the current refugee situation demands understanding of Muslim refugees staying in Korea and questions churches’proper role. To address this issue, this article aims to explore the concept of the refugee, Korea’s refugee system, the current state of affairs, the circumstances for Muslim refugees in Korea, and the grounds for refugee status. The vulnerability of Muslim refugees in Korea will be analyzed in three perspectives: their vulnerability as asylum seekers and refugees, the added difficulties from the recent hatred toward Muslims and refugees, and the problems facing mission work. Lastly, this article will scrutinize the past responses of Korean churches and the tasks asked of Korean churches in the future.

Korea's Refugee Act: A Critical Evaluation under International Law

On December 29, 2011, the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea passed the Law on the Status and Treatment of Refugees, which went into effect on July 1, 2013. The law was the culmination of years of effort by the government, NGOs, UNHCR and the lawmakers. It has been widely praised by civil society groups in Korea. However, there has been little critical analysis of its provisions whether it will truly be a successful legislation. This research critically evaluates whether the new law is likely to promote Korean compliance with international legal standards, namely, the 1951 Refugee Convention and major human rights treaties. It finds that while the law represents a significant improvement over current practices, it possesses problematic provisions related to detention, refugee determination, economic and social rights of asylum-seekers, and the treatment of recognized refugees. This essay will conclude by highlighting four outstanding implementation questions that could impact compliance with international standards.

The Task and Direction of Improving Social Integration of Refugees in Korea

The Task and Direction of Improving Social Integration of Refugees in Korea