Yemeni refugees' fate tested on Jeju Island

Jeju Immigration Office in Jeju Island is filled with Yemenis applying for refugee status in South Korea. Online community

By Ko Dong-hwan

Refugees displaced from war-torn Yemen have had two opposite reactions on Jeju Islands. While the self-governing body of the tourism-centric southern island of South Korea held public sessions teaching them Korean and introducing jobs in the local fishing industry, local citizens unhappy about the refugees' influx have begun online campaigns demanding authorities rein in the newcomers.

The situation basically represents a clash between the island's friendly stance toward the refugees and residents wary about predominately Muslims from the Middle East.

On Saturday, more than 40 Yemeni refugees attended a Jeju Immigration Office class to learn basic Korean language. The class was to prepare them to work on fishing boats and fish farms, a local industry that has been suffering from a shortage of workers.

An official from the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives told YTN Saturday it would be "encouraging for fishing boat operators if the refugees could legally help them with the work because workers are in a great demand now, whether foreigners or Koreans."

Facing the growing number of Yemenis who filed for refugee status on the island ―more than 540 as of June 11 this year ― the immigration office held a job seminar on June 14 for those interested in the fishing industry. Over 400 Yemenis rushed to the seminar that looked for 170 workers. Another seminar for those interested in cooking is planned for June 18.

The island's immigration authority made the decision nominally on condition the refugees "shall not deprive Koreans of the chances of getting employed in the same industries." But the move drew a backlash because the statement was vague about whether the approach was legal.

The job opportunities are the result of a serious workers shortage in fishing-related industries ― and possibly sympathy for the refugees who need money to live. A Yemeni refugee told YTN some of his countrymen ate one meal a day and three of the refugees shared one motel room. Other poorer refugees lived on the streets.

While the island authority was at the frontline of helping the refugees, Korean residents on the island voiced strong opposition.

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Their fiercest voices appeared on presidential office Cheong Wa Dae's website, where petitions appeared calling for the island's lax visa system to be changed and for the inflow of Yemeni refugees to be stopped. Both petitions gained significant support.

The first petition titled "Let us defy Jeju Island accepting refugees" was posted on June 12. The petition, posted anonymously, claimed it was "obvious the Yemenis, who see women as not a human but a child-delivering object, will cause sexually explicit crimes...Look at the Chinese." The person asked why Koreans should have to put up with foreigners and demanded that legal action be taken immediately before it was too late.

The petitions require the central government to make an official reply if they draw 200,000 supporters or more in one month. The June 12 petition attracted more than 180,000 in four days. But the petition was deleted from the site on Saturday without any notice from Cheong Wa Dae, causing an online outcry demanding an explanation.

Yemeni refugees seeking to settle on Jeju Island gathered at a hall inside Jeju Immigration Office for a job seminar on June 14. Online community

A similar petition posted on the Cheong Wa Dae site on June 13 has drawn more than 160,000 supporters in four days. The post said, "Before accepting refugees, the central government must check its priorities list and first resolve the issue about illegal aliens with expired visas.

"The government has been reasoning that it accepts refugees because they help with the country's economic growth, raise tourism demand and attract more Chinese tourists. Such far-fetched, abstract plans are the only things the government comes up with while it keeps its mouth shut in front of much more imminent problems."

Not all Korean residents have waved their fists at the Yemenis. The Korean Red Cross said Saturday it would start providing free medical help to the refugees for five days starting on June 18. Civic groups including Christian pastors, leaders from Catholic parishes on Jeju Island and human rights activists have been doing as much as they can for the refugees.

A hotel in Samdo 1-dong district in Jeju City, where more than 130 Yemeni refugees stayed, made its kitchen available so they could cook and enjoy halal food. The venue also allowed the refugees to stay at a heavily discounted group rate.

The philanthropists point out that the refugees fled their home country for survival and deserved human rights just like anyone else.

Central offices overseeing immigration affairs have been balancing the situation on the island. On June 1, the Ministry of Justice restricted Yemenis who applied for refugee status not to leave the island in an apparent bid to minimize awareness of their presence. On the other hand, on the same day the National Human Rights Commission of Korea lifted a restriction preventing refugees from getting a job for the first six months. The change has enabled the Jeju immigration authority to offer jobs to the refugees.

But many people want the ministry to fix the island's visa system. Since 2001, foreigners have been allowed to stay for 30 days without a visa to promote tourism. The rule applied to all but 11 countries, including Syria, Iran and Nigeria, until June 1 when the ministry included Yemen in the list.

The Jeju Citizens' Solidarity Association for Refugee Measures says the so-called "no visa system" is abused as a window for illegal refugees and immigrants.

The controversial system has also been blamed for an increasing number of crimes committed by foreigners, with calls for the region's immigration office and police to crack down on illegal "alien brokers" and illegal residents.