Foreigners abusing Korea's asylum law to stay longer

By Kim Hyun-bin

An increasing number of Chinese and other foreign nationals are taking advantage of loopholes in the nation’s asylum system in order to stay longer and earn money.

According to the Ministry of Justice, Sunday, 9,942 foreigners submitted asylum applications in 2017, in which many applicants falsely sought refuge so they could work in Korea.

Most of the false applicants sought asylum for religious or political reasons.

Since 2002, Korea has been implementing a visa waiver program for 180 countries in efforts to increase the number of foreign tourists.

People from the respective countries are allowed to stay in Korea for 30 days without a visa. However, many foreigners have been falsely claiming asylum so they can stay longer.

A person who files for asylum automatically is given a G-1 visa, allowing the person to stay three more months. If refused asylum, the applicant can file for an administrative proceeding, which allows them to stay legally throughout the trial period, according to the ministry.

The trial can last up to three years and a work permit is given to those waiting for the court ruling.

Jeju Island has had the most drastic increase in the number of refugee seekers in recent years.

“There were 312 people who applied for asylum last year, an increase of 32.2 percent from the previous year,” a ministry spokesperson said.

Korea became the first Asian nation to enact the Refugee Act in 2013, which aims to guarantee a minimum level of humanitarian protection for the forcibly displaced.

Since then, the number of applicants has soared on the island. But starting from just one applicant in 2013 to 312 last year, not one applicant has been granted refugee status, according to the ministry.

The legal requirement for refugee status is rather simple: whether an applicant shows well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.

Many observers say changes are needed so people falsely seeking refugee status can be screened out more quickly.