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| Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong holds an emergency meeting on the influx of Yemeni refugees to Jeju Island at Jeju Immigration Office, Sunday. / Yonhap |
By Lee Suh-yoon
The governor of Jeju Island said he wants to meet with President Moon Jae-in in order to deal with Yemeni refugees staying on the island.
"I will directly meet with President Moon Jae-in to better manage Yemeni asylum seekers and ensure a speedy – and strict – review process for accepting them," Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong said at an emergency meeting at Jeju Immigration Office, Sunday.
Won called for the Yemeni asylum seekers to be evaluated "strictly, based on clear standards."
"The regional government will undertake all administrative measures to mitigate the fears of local residents and citizens," Won said. "Apart from humanitarian aid, we will search for cooperative measures to better manage the international refugee crisis."
The governor's balanced remarks come amid worsening public sentiment towards Yemeni asylum seekers. According to a recent Realmeter survey, 49 percent of Koreans said they were opposed to accepting Yemeni asylum seekers. Just 39 percent replied they should be allowed to stay.
The world's refugee crisis reached the nation's southernmost island earlier this year, partly made possible by its visa-waiver policy for foreign tourists. Yemen was excluded from this visa-free policy on June 1 to curb the flow of asylum seekers into the country.
Some 549 Yemenis have applied for asylum on Jeju Island so far. The Jeju Immigration Office started processing the asylum seekers' applications on Monday.
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