I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Asylum seekers - Malaysia's lessons for Korea
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Ethnic communities serve as conduit for refugee migration
By Kang Hyun-kyung
SONGDO ― Over the past decade, the expat population in South Korea has grown fast, surpassing 2 million last year and making up 4 percent of the population.
The demographic change has come amid South Korea wrestling with population decline woes, implying the ratio of the foreign-born population will go up further in the foreseeable future.
In an era of creative economy, diversity has been praised as a source of new ideas and innovative thinking.
Amid the positive outlook of diversity, however, some significant implications of the gradual demographic changes were understated ― diversity occasionally serves as a conduit for refugee migration.
Like other racially diverse countries, Malaysian activist Brian Lariche says, his country has benefitted from the thriving ethnic minority communities as migrant workers are helping the Southeast Asian country's tourism sector relieve labor shortages.
However, he said ethnic minorities also have become a source of the influx of asylum seekers.
Brian Lariche, head of community development for the nonprofit group Make It Right Movement based in Malaysia's Selangor, talks with The Korea Times at G-Tower in Songdo International Business District near the port city of Incheon on Thursday. / Korea Times
Lariche, head of community development of the non-profit group Make It Right Movement based in Malaysia's Selangor, says some ethnic minorities, particularly those from war-torn countries such as Yemen and Somalia, bring their friends and relatives in need to Malaysia and provide shelter for them.
“There is sort of an underground system that helps the asylum seekers find jobs illegally or get support from their community,” Lariche said in a Korea Times interview on Thursday at G-Tower in the Songdo International Business District near the port city of Incheon. “Ethnic minorities help their countrymen and women to come to and live in Malaysia. The Yemeni community, for example, helps other Yemenis come to Malaysia and find a place to live there as illegal immigrants.”
Asylum seekers fly to Malaysia with tourist visas and then seek asylum there.
Malaysia is not a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 protocol. Therefore, even though the UNHCR recognizes the asylum seekers there as genuine refugees, they cannot get jobs or stay there permanently. They have to leave Malaysia once their tourist visas expire.
About 180,000 asylum seekers are currently in Malaysia.
Noting this is an official figure, Lariche says the actual number of asylum seekers in his country is higher than that.
Unlike other Southeast Asian countries that shelter mostly asylum seekers from other parts of Asia, asylum seekers in Malaysia are ethnically diverse.
People from Myanmar take the lion's share with 140,000, which includes 77,000 Rohingyas, followed by Pakistanis (21,000). Some of them came from war-torn countries in the Middle East. Approximately 3,000 Yemenis and another 3,000 Somalis and Syrians are also seeking asylum in the Southeast Asian country.
According to Lariche, his country's Muslim-dominating demographics appear to have played a part to attract Muslim asylum seekers from outside the country. “About 60 percent of our people are Muslims, so they welcome Muslims, although they are from other countries. Compared to other migrants, Muslims are well-received by Malaysians.”
The refugee migration in Malaysia has affected South Korea.
Earlier this year, over 500 Yemeni asylum seekers arrived on the southern scenic island of Jeju directly from Kuala Lumpur.
The influx of Yemenis _ albeit its scale is much smaller than Europe has experienced since 2014 _ has emerged as a policy challenge to the Korean immigration service as it has no prior experience of asylum seekers' arrivals en masse to its territory.
After scrutinizing their applications, the immigration authorities allowed around 360 Yemenis to stay legally in Korea for one year, although they failed to obtain refugee status. During their stay, they can move to other cities and are allowed to have jobs.
South Korea's experience of the Yemeni migration indicates asylum seekers are no longer just a Western issue.
Previously, Europe and the United States were popular destinations for asylum seekers. But these countries tightened controls of their borders recently and those who seek asylum find it tougher to enter these regions.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her ruling coalition have been suffering the consequences of the open-door policy to shelter refugees following the influx of 1.8 million of asylum seekers to Europe since 2014.
Merkel's decision to shelter over 1 million refugees has caused public uproar, particularly from the far right, and her ruling coalition was crushed in the recent Bavarian state election.
Refugees turn eyes to Asia
Amid tightened border control in Europe and the United States, asylum seekers have begun to turn their eyes to newer countries.
Countries such as Malaysia and South Korea have emerged as attractive destinations for asylum seekers.
Lariche said countries with high income and safe and livable conditions will become target destinations for asylum seekers.
South Korea is a signatory of the refugee convention. The screening process is strict, but once asylum seekers obtain refugee status, they can stay in the country legally and even have jobs.
Lariche said refugee migration is not something that can be stopped.
So he said countries would be better off if they find “realistic” solutions, rather than making efforts to stop refugee migration.
Facing an influx of asylum seekers, he said Malaysia is looking at signing the refugee convention and he believes his country could sign it as soon as next year.
If Malaysia becomes a signatory of the convention, asylum seekers there will be able to obtain legal status to stay and have jobs in the country.
“I think we should view asylum seekers as potential migrant workers,” he said.
If the proper regulatory and policy framework is in place, he said, the host country and refugees can reach a mutually beneficial solution. His remarks indicate refugees can help the host country relieve labor shortages in certain sectors.
Artemy Izmestiev, first from left on the big screen, speaks as he moderates the United Nations symposium on vulnerable groups at Songdo's G-Tower on Thursday. From left are Izemestiev, Solomon Islands under secretary of development planning and aid coordination Lynn Rowena Sidi, Brian Lariche from Malaysia, National Planning Commission of Nepal infrastructure and production joint secretary Biju Kumar Shrestha, Korea NGO Council for Overseas Development Cooperation head Jo Dae-shik, International Longevity Center of Singapore director Susana Concordo Harding and Kang Ye-eun, winner of the 2018 UNPOG Speech Contest and a student at Korea's Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies. / Korea Times
Lariche came to Korea for a symposium on social and economic inclusion hosted by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Incheon Metropolitan City.
Policy experts and NGO activists from Solomon Islands, Nepal, Malaysia and South Korea and youth representatives gathered there and discussed ways to protect vulnerable people and forge policy responses to the new challenges.
Lynn Rowena Sidi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Development Planning and Aid Coordination of Solomon Islands, said women, people with disabilities and young people are three groups that are most vulnerable people in her country and they are marginalized for various reasons.
During the seminar, Kang Ye-eun, youth representative from South Korea and the winner of 2018 Speech Contest hosted by the United Nations Public Office on Governance (UNPOG), said asylum seekers will pose a fresh policy challenge to the Korean government.
South Korea has been poles apart since the arrival of the Yemenis and the divided public opinion makes it difficult for the government to come up with effective policy responses.
“People's thoughts and belief systems have been diversified and will not converge to a single idea,” she said.
Given the public's support for a certain policy is critical to make it succeed, she said the role of government and media appear to be important more than ever before, in order to facilitate a constructive debate among community members and so they can reach a consensus on issues like refugees.