Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
46 Yemenis appeal Korean government's refugee status rejection
By Jung Hae-myoung
Forty-six Yemenis have appealed the Korean government's decision to reject their application for refugee status, the Jeju branch of the Korean Immigration Service said, Tuesday.
Their objection came after the Ministry of Justice granted one-year humanitarian stay permits to 362 out of 481 Yemeni asylum seekers on Jeju Island in October, while giving refugee status to none.
Twelve among those who received the stay permit and 34 who did not get it filed an appeal against the ministry.
Asylum seekers who are rejected can submit an appeal within 30 days for the ministry's re-examination. If the appeal is not accepted, they can file an administrative litigation within 90 days.
During the administrative suit proceeding, their stay can be extended every six months. If the legal battle continues to the Supreme Court, they can stay for up to three years.
By October, the immigration authorities had screened 481 asylum seekers, allowing humanitarian stay permits to 362. Still 85 people are waiting for their results.
Those who receive the permission to stay are allowed to move to other regions and get jobs. Of the 362, 227 left Jeju. They need to undergo the authorities' review every year about whether to extend the permit, which can be revoked when their country's situation improves, or when an individual is found to have a criminal record.