By You Soo-sun
Yosaf is one of the very few to have been granted refugee status in Korea. Born in 1990, he escaped Eritrea, the horn of Africa, during a war at age 12 after both his parents died. In 2014, he obtained refugee status in Korea ― something that was in a country that has accepted less than six percent of applicants over the last two decades. Despite this, he struggles to get by because of the first six digists of his alien registration card number: 910000. As more people seek asylum in Korea, this is likely to become increasingly problematic and in need of government attention.
The alien registration card is supposed to indicate a person’s date of birth. But for refugees who often lack identification documents or are unaware of their birthdates ― like Yosaf ― this rule poses additional challenges. For this reason, Yosaf struggles with even the simplest tasks such as getting a phone contract, receiving medical insurance benefits, and getting a job which require such information. According to a local media outlet, Yosaf sought out help from immigration offices in different cities including Seoul, Yeosu, and Daejeon, but they all refused to take up his case or told him they couldn’t as it was without precedent.
“The government distributes registration numbers according to its own administrative convenience, without any special regard for refugees,” Goh Ji-woon, a human rights lawyer for Gamdong, told The Korea Times. “Refugees are often unable to bring the necessary documents to confirm their identity when they flee from their home country.”
“In a way, Yosaf is facing additional disadvantages for having been honest about his birth date,” she added. Goh explained that many refugees and immigrants face difficulties with immigration offices not only due to language barriers but also its overall procedure from making a reservation to receiving consultation.
An increasing number of refugees are seeking asylum in Korea; in 2011, the number doubled from 423 to over 1,000 and last year, the number further rose to 7,542. Despite the soaring population ― although the acceptance rate still stands low ― government policies still lag far behind.
“The problem stems from the fact that refugees here are taken care of by the Ministry of Justice, which tends to see refugees as an object to control,” human rights activist Kim Dae-kwon said. “This is different from other countries where the foreign affairs ministry is usually in charge.” Kim, who works with many refugees and asylum seekers through his work at Friends of Asia, a nongovernmental organization that supports immigrants, believes the issue will become a greater societal problem as the number of refugees continues to rise. “Previously, there weren’t many refugees in Korea and that was something that could be easily overlooked,” he said. “But now, the government needs to address the problem as similar issues will emerge with more asylum seekers coming here.”