Record number of Koreans sign anti-refugee petition

Yemeni asylum seekers wait for their chance to explain their case to human rights officials in Jeju last month. Yonhap

By Oh Young-jin

A record number of people have signed a petition on the presidential office website asking for tougher rules for granting refugee status.

As of Friday morning, about 642,000 people had signed. The petition is in the spotlight amid a tight tug of war between supporters and opponents of Yemeni asylum seekers on Jeju.

Calling for tighter rules, the person who proposed the petition said that unlike no-visa entry for tourists to Jeju Island, it was too early to grant refugee status to Yeminites.

The presidential office makes it a rule to reply to a petition that draws more than 200,000 signatories within 30 days of a proposal being registered.

This anti-refugee proposal was made on June 13 so it will be close next Friday. Cheong Wa Dae will have to answer by Aug. 13.

President Moon Jae-in has dealt with the refugee issue quite gingerly, only ordering a look into the Jeju situation.

Recently, it was decided to set up a board to review the refugee status situation. The Justice Ministry believes this will shorten the application/decision process.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Yemenites are staying on Jeju with some seeking protected status, but the situation triggered pro- and anti-protests in Seoul last weekend.

Traditionally, Koreans have taken pride in being a pure-blood nation, although this has been eroded by the inflow of migrant wives and one of the world's lowest birthrates.

The previous petition with a record number of signatories was one against the early release of sex offender Cho Doo-soon, who was sentenced to 22 years behind bars in 2008.

A total of 615,534 signed.