By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

A Pakistani man was given refugee status in Korea Sunday because he may face persecution due to his sexual orientation if deported.

This is a rare case of the Korean authorities acknowledging such an asylum bid and is expected to affect other applicants waiting in line.

The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of the lawyer-turned-illegal immigrant, who filed a suit against the justice minister to acknowledge him as a refugee.

According to the court file, the man has known he is gay since he was 14, but has had to remain "in the closet" due to the fierce punishment levied by Pakistan on homosexuals, which can be as harsh as life imprisonment.

He was married to a woman but had sexual relationships with other men.

He worked as a lawyer in his own country between 1983 and 1996, but came to Korea in 1996 and has stayed here illegally. He was apprehended during a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigrants last January.

The court said, "Though he had a relatively lucrative job back in his home country, he came to Korea for his own safety, leaving everything behind.

"There were court rulings condemning homosexuality there, which indicate that he could be severely punished."

However, he seems to be one of the few lucky cases in Korea. According to the Ministry of Justice, 2,168 foreigners have applied for refugee status, of which 592 cases have been completed with 101 applicants being approved as refugees as of Dec. 2008.

According to an OECD report, there were 717 applicants in 2007, of which 13 were accepted.

This ratio ranked 16th among the OECD's 30 member countries.

The most recent case of the government's alleged stinginess toward asylum seekers was its decision to deport a 41-year-old Iranian who had converted to Christianity, a move which could jeopardize his and his family members' lives in Iran.

According to civic groups, the man came to Korea as a Muslim but became a Christian after attending Kurdish chapels here.

His employer sent his passport to the local Iranian Embassy, which requested him to reconvert to Islamic beliefs.

He filed for exile in 2005 after having been caught for smoking marijuana, but was rejected.

The government said his conversion was made after his arrival to Korea. It also said that he may pursue his religious belief in Iran, as long as he does not try to convert others.

The decision, which was confirmed by the Supreme Court, drew criticism from civic groups.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr