Korea accepts 200 Syrian refugees

A woman who identified herself as a Syrian refugee shows tears while waiting at the immigration office of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, with people who appear to be her family, Wednesday. National Intelligence Service reported to the National Assembly on the day that 200 Syrian refugees have entered the country so far, and 135 of them were granted temporary stay permits until the justice ministry determines whether to accept them. The agency said 48 foreigners have been deported since 2010 for their affiliation with terrorist groups. / Yonhap

By Kim Hyo-jin

A total of 200 Syrian refugees are currently staying in Korea, a lawmaker said Wednesday citing information from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The government is currently reviewing whether to give them refugee status. Among the Syrians, 135 were moved to a number of temporary shelters nationwide after being granted “quasi-refugee” status, while the others are still at Incheon International Airport.

“The 135 Syrians staying in the shelters were already given permission to stay here for humanitarian reasons and the 65 others are waiting to undergo the screening process,” Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of the Saenuri Party, a member of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, told reporters after being briefed by NIS officials.

“The authorities however have not given permanent residency to those 135 Syrians yet and the 65 Syrians are being thoroughly vetted.”

The government has apparently accepted more Syrian refugees because many Western countries have recently expedited the resettlement of them refugees on humanitarian grounds.

“The relevant governmental bodies had a meeting last year in the wake of the civil war in Syria and decided to give permission to Syrian migrants who failed to earn refugee status to stay for humanitarian reasons,” said an official from the foreign ministry on condition of anonymity.

Millions of Syrians have taken refuge from the long-running civil war in the middle-eastern nation and militant forces such as the Islamic State (IS).

There have been calls that refugee programs for Syrians in some western nations to be overhauled in the wake of the Paris attacks on Friday that killed over 120 Parisians.

This emerged after it was found that at least one of the attackers who took part in the Paris atrocities is believed to have entered Europe through Greece posing as a refugee from Syria.

The IS, which has its de facto headquarters in Syria, claimed responsibility for the attacks.