By Kang Hyun-kyung
The Supreme Court denied a Falun Gong practitioner’s application for refugee status in Korea Wednesday, citing a lack of evidence to prove he was abused or would be persecuted in the home country.
The top court turned down a high court ruling in favor of the petitioner, surnamed Choi, in the case where the Falun Gong adherent had challenged the justice ministry’s denial of his request for refugee status.
“To be recognized as a refugee in Korea, Choi must have a past record showing he came here after he was arrested or put behind bars in China for certain Falun Gong activities. There should be sufficient evidence or grounds to show he would vulnerable to the Chinese authorities’ persecution if he goes back to the country,” the court said.
The court confirmed that the justice ministry’s initial rejection of Choi’s application for a refugee status was a fair decision.
The factors behind the denial of refugee status, cited by the court, are a lack of previous records of being persecuted in China, Choi’s safe arrival in Korea after re-entering China years ago and his belated application for refugee status.
Choi, an ethnic Korean and a rank-and-file practitioner of Falun Gong in China, sought refugee status from the Ministry of Justice in November 2011, one year after he arrived in Korea.
After that, he circulated material detailing the Chinese authorities’ persecution and abuses of Falun Gong adherents and held a one-man rally in Korea against the Chinese government over its crackdown on the discipline.
After the justice ministry refused him refugee status, Choi filed a lawsuit to challenge the decision. The district and the high court ruled in his favor, but were overturned by the top court.
The Chinese government has banned Falun Gong, a spiritual practice founded by Li Hongzhi, since July 1999. According to the Falun Dafa Information Center, more than 3,400 practitioners have been killed after the Chinese government tortured them.