Korea (see also Japan)

More asylum seekers  in foreign missions

As of 6 June, China said that a fifth person has taken refuge in the South Korean Embassy in Beijing amid a series of asylum bids by North Koreans.  The five had entered the embassy since 23 May. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Jianchao did not give the identities of the five asylum seekers, and said he did not know when or how it occurred.  He said the Chinese government had asked the South Korean side to hand over the asylum seekers, but South Korean officials said they would only do so if China promised to let them leave the country. 

As of 11 June, five more North Korean defectors took refuge at diplomatic missions in Beijing, on top of the five others who have been sheltered in the South Korean consular office for weeks.  Two men entered the Canadian Embassy on 8 June; three persons - two women and a two-year old boy - entered the South Korean consulate on 9 June.  Despite the insistence of the Chinese government to hand over the defectors for questioning, the South Korean government maintained that China should allow them to leave for a third country, and eventually for South Korea. 

On 12 June, nine North Koreans jumped the gates and smashed through a window to get into the South Korean consulate in Beijing.  The break-in was the largest since 25 North Korean asylum seekers rushed into the Spanish Embassy on 14 March, the first in a spate of such incidents that have complicated sensitive relations among Seoul, Pyongyang and Beijing.

On 13 June, a ten-year old (or 15-year or 13-year) boy entered the South Korean consulate. The boy’s father was dragged out of the building by security guards and then taken away by paramilitary police.  The South Korean government accused Chinese security guards of entering the South Korean consulate in Beijing without permission, and hauling the North Korean asylum seeker away.  A South Korean diplomat (or two diplomats and a journalist according to other reports) was/were injured during the scuffle. The Korean government immediately lodged a protest with the Chinese Foreign Ministry, saying the incident was a grave violation of South Korea’s sovereignty and demanded that Beijing hand over the detained defector.  On the other hand, China blamed the diplomats who scuffled with the police. The incident is expected to worsen the tension between South Korea and China.

As of 13 June, a total of 20 defectors were holed up in foreign missions in Beijing – 18 in the South Korean Embassy, and two in the Canadian Embassy.

Before the rush to the South Korean mission began, China granted at least 38 North Koreans who sought asylum in Western and Japanese missions this year passage to third countries, and eventually to South Korea.

North Koreans in China

The US Committee for Refugees (USCR) estimated that there are some 50,000 North Koreans hiding in China, with only 583 of them reaching freedom in South Korea.  Since the Chinese border guards intensified forcible repatriations in 1999, China arrested some 6,000 North Koreans in June and July last year. A US State Department report estimated some 150,000 to 200,000 North Korean political prisoners in maximum-security camps in remote areas last year. Up to two million North Koreans, or almost ten percent of the population, have died from hunger or famine-related diseases since 1994, the committee stated, adding that some mortality estimate could be as high as 3.5 million. 

Several major international civic organizations have suspended operations in North Korea in recent years, citing the North Korean government’s failure to provide a transparent food distribution system and to grant access to the county’s most vulnerable people.  The government also reportedly blocked aid to regions, such as the northeastern coastal provinces, where there had been anti-government rebellions and protests in recent years.  

Aid to N. Korean refugees cut

The government is cutting state aid for North Korean refugees by as much as 50 percent. To help North Koreans integrate in South Korean society, the government provides up to US$26,000 annually for three years.  Aside from the financial aid, they are also given free housing and education and vocational training.  However, in late May, the cabinet revised the policy, cutting the financial aid by up to half the amount. 

According to Tim Peters, a human rights activist who assist North Korean refugees, the move was based partly on the growing number of North Koreans escaping to South Korea.  He said the government might be incorporating projections of large increases in the future, forcing them to examine the budget.  Activists said the reduction in financial aid could cut the number of refugees. According to activists, some refugees use the government aid to pay Chinese smugglers who promise to help other family members defect.   

The number of North Korean refugees arriving in South Korea this year climbed to more than 300.  Last year, a total of 580 defected to South Korea.  The figure has been steadily increasing since 1999, when about 140 refugees arrived.

US policy over N. Korean defectors slammed

The Grand National Party (GNP) criticized the US for disregarding the human rights of North Korean defectors after the State Department indicated that its diplomatic missions overseas would not accept asylum bids.  The State Department issued a statement that asylum requests can be presented only by someone in the US territory, not a US embassy.  The statement followed a controversy concerning five North Korean defectors in China who sought refuge in the US embassy before they were sent to South Korea.  GNP chief policymaker Lee Kang-too warned the US government would face international criticism over what he termed as double standard toward North Korean human rights.               

Registration of irregular migrants

The Justice Ministry announced that about 96 percent of irregular migrants have reported to immigration authorities following the government’s new guideline.  Officials said that 255,978 of about 266,000 irregular foreign residents have registered with the Immigration Bureau during the government-set period, from 25 March to 25 May. Those who comply will be given one-year visa extension, i.e., they have until the end of March 2003 to voluntarily leave Korea. Those who fail to comply face stern actions by the government, such as immediate deportation.  The government also warned that there will systematic search for those who did not report to the immigration bureau. 

Foreigners who reported during the period include 151,313 from China, 17,087 from Bangladesh, and 16,078 from the Philippines and 13,952 each from Mongolia and Vietnam.  Most of them were employed in manufacturing companies, construction sites and restaurants in Seoul. 

Government urged to open door to foreigners

According to a poll conducted by the Korea Small Business Institute, 66 percent of 1,129 foreign workers chose Korea as their favorite workplace.  South Korea was followed by Japan  (13 percent), the US  (nine percent) and Taiwan (three percent).  Under the Korean Immigration and Emigration Law, unskilled foreigners are not allowed to work in Korea.  Kim Won-nyon, professor of economics at Korea University, the country should overhaul its rigid immigration laws and regulations. He said basic market principles that benefit labor-exporting and labor-importing countries come into play only when workers enjoy free mobility across national borders. 

Government officials estimated the number of foreigners illegally residing in the country at 253,500 last month. The Chinese accounted for 145,000, most of whom were ethnic Koreans, followed by 15,000 Bangladeshis and 15,000 Filipinos.  The number of irregular foreign workers rose nearly threefold in the last three years from 100,000 in 1998.  Due to their status, they are often subjected to physical and mental abuse by their employers, as Korean labor laws do not protect migrant workers.

Immigration violators deported

Two Iranian tourists inflicted wounds on themselves after Incheon Airport Immigration authorities denied them entry. They were found to be carrying fake Spanish passports.  After they received treatment at the airport’s emergency clinic, they were deported on a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok.  The immigration office had denied entry to about 300 foreign tourists since the opening of the World Cup on 31 May, including 63 Nigerians, 62 Bangladeshis and several Chinese nationals.

Sources:  Heo Yun-seon, “256,000n illegal migrants report to immigration," Korea Times, 1 June 2002; VOA News, “S. Korea cuts aid to refugees from north," 3 June 2002;  “GNP denounces U.S. policy over North Korean defectors," Korea Herald, 3 June 2002; AP, “China says fifth asylum-seeker has entered the South Korean embassy," 6 June 2002;  “NK defectors in China estimated at 50,000 last year: USCR," Korea Times, 7 June 2002; Kim Ji-ho, “Five more N. Korean asylum seekers enter diplomatic missions in Beijing," Korea Herald, 11 June 2002;  Japan Economic News, “9 more N. Korean asylum seekers enter S. Korean Embassy," 11 June 2002;  John Pomfret, “More N. Koreans seek asylum in Beijing," Washington Post, 12 June 2002;  Seo Hyun-jin, “Gov’t urged to overhaul immigration policies to open door wider to foreign workers," Korea Herald, 12 June 2002;  AFP, “Asylum seekers enjoy three meals a day, remain hopeful of a new life," 13 June 2002;  “Two foreigners with fake passports injure themselves," Korea Herald, 13 June 2002;  Kim Ji-ho, “Chinese guards drag N.K. defectors out of S.K. consulate," Korea Herald, 14 June 2002;  AFP, “Asylum seeker taken from consulate," The Australian, 14 June 2002;  Reuters, “China, South Korea in spat after consulate raid," 14 June 2002