How Jeju became haven for Yemeni refugees

Asylum seekers pit farmers against rest of islanders

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Jeju islanders were thrilled to hear the news in December that the budget airline Air Asia had just begun operating direct flights between the island and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, four times a week.

Airfare for return trips is just $200 to $300, depending on dates. To promote the nonstop flights, Air Asia began one-year hot deals for selected passengers where they could travel back and forth if they pay only 79,000 won ($70).

Besides the cheaper airfare, the shortened travel time is another plus; Jeju residents no longer need to transfer at Incheon International Airport to go to Malaysia.

The local government was excited as well in hopes that Jeju would attract more tourists from Southeast Asian countries amid a sudden decrease of Chinese tourists because of the fallout from the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) deployment. The local economy would benefit with an increase of foreign tourists.

Months later, such sweeping optimism has turned into worries.

The scenic southern island, which has long been a hot tourist destination for Koreans as well as foreigners, has experienced a rapid surge of unexpected visitors _ Yemeni refugees.

As of June 21, 486 Yemenis, who escaped from their war-torn country in search of hope and a better life, are staying on the island, seeking asylum.

The island is divided as some farmers are sympathetic about granting refugee status to the asylum seekers amid a sweeping backlash against the Yemeni refugees.

"For the Yemenis, Korea is portrayed as a land of opportunity," said Kim Dae-yong, founder and president of the Jeju Islamic Culture Center. "Word of Korea spread fast among those Yemeni refugees in Southeast Asian countries because Korea is livable and as we recently have seen on this island, asylum seekers are even allowed to work here."

He said neither the Jeju local government nor the immigration office had imagined the island would become a haven for refugees when the local government teamed up with Air Asia last year to offer direct flights between Jeju and Kuala Lumpur.

The Yemenis initially flew to Malaysia where foreigners can stay up to 90 days without a visa. Unable to extend their stay in the Southeast Asian country, they looked for other visa-free destinations where they could stay permanently. South Korea, which grants asylum to refugees if strict conditions are met, has been emerging as an attractive destination.

The initial number of Yemenis on Jeju this year was 546, but some of them left and others went to other cities in Korea.

The number of Yemeni refugees seeking asylum in Korea has surged after Air Asia began the direct flights.

Last year only 46 Yemenis sought asylum in Korea. The number rose more than ten-fold over the past half year, keeping the Jeju immigration office busy dealing with the asylum seekers.

Asked to confirm if the budget nonstop flight services have prompted the surge of Yemeni refugees on the island, a local government official said this may be true.

"Speaking honestly, we didn't check their travel itinerary, because we are not in a position to check how they made their trip to Jeju," he said asking for anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The official said islanders are concerned about the Yemenis, noting the public opinion about the refugees on Jeju is not quite different from the overall atmosphere of the country.

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"People here heard a lot about what happened in Europe, such as Germany, after the influx of refugees. Citizens are concerned about security and their own safety. I know some are worried Yemenis would steal jobs previously held by Koreans. I think few people here are convinced by such claims. The primary source of the backlash against Yemeni refugees here is fear for security," he said.

Many of the Yemenis stay at cheap tourist hotels and some have become homeless and sleep in parks.

Some residents and tourists, feeling unsafe, called for the local government to take necessary measures to ensure their safety.

Facing the unprecedented immigration, the local government teamed up with the immigration service to place the refugees at fisheries and eateries that were wrestling with the shortages of labor. Of 486 Yemenis, 271 are employed, according to media reports.

The local government plans to provide emergency medical relief for the Yemenis and also mulls ways to further assist the homeless refugees.

Governor Won Hee-ryong said the local government would provide humanitarian assistance to the Yemenis based on the international law dealing with refugees.

"They escaped from their country at war and came all the way to Jeju, so we should cope with the situation wisely. We won't be stingy with humanitarian assistance," he said.

Yet, the governor said the local government would ratchet up efforts to maintain security for residents as many are concerned about safety as well as other fallout on society.

On June 1, South Korea removed Yemen from the visa waiver list to prevent a further influx of Yemeni refugees.

The presence of Yemeni refugees has divided the island.

Some welcome them, hoping they could help Jeju ease serious labor shortages in agriculture.

Oh Myung-pil, owner of a tangerine farm in Jeju's southern coastal area of Seogwipo, said farmers have long been wrestling with labor shortages, particularly during the crop production and harvest season.

"Like other rural areas in the nation, farmers are older and they suffer from labor shortages and soaring wages. Due to their age, many of them will retire sooner or later. The situation will become more serious if their retirement comes without a proper plan to back up the workforce," he said.

Oh said tangerine farms are labor-intensive and young Koreans don't want to work there.

"Tangerine farms require various types of seasonal workers. The simplest work is picking tangerines. There should be healthy men who can carry boxes of tangerines that were picked," he said.

Due to the relatively lower wages, Oh said farmers prefer foreign guest workers.

"Depending on the work, the average wage of a guest worker is about 20 percent less than that of a Korean," he said.
People from diverse ethnic groups are working on Jeju farms. In recent years, Oh said, guest workers from Nepal and northeastern China have increased.

Islamophobia

A heated debate about the asylum seekers has been underway online.
Some opponents spread "Islamophobia" and allege the Yemenis are terrorists in the guise of refugees. They claim Korean women would suffer the consequences and could become victims of rape and sexual assaults just as what happened to victims of terrorist groups in other countries.

However, there are some, mostly humanitarian workers, who are calling for assistance for the refugees and helping them settle on the island.
Those who are sympathetic to the asylum seekers reminded fellow Koreans of how life for Koreans was in the 1960s.

Back then, they say Korea was no different from today's Yemen. Korea also sent guest workers overseas, mostly nurses and miners, to Germany in search of healthcare and work.