Afghan Assistants Arrive in Korea This Afternoon... Expected to Stay 6-8 Weeks in Jincheon

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Local staff who assisted the South Korean government’s activities in Afghanistan and their families will arrive in Korea on the afternoon of the 26th. After undergoing COVID-19 testing, they will move to Jincheon, Chungbuk, where they are expected to stay for 6 to 8 weeks. Afterwards, based on their own wishes, they will decide whether to move to a third country or settle in Korea. The government has begun revising laws to grant them long-term residency status and is also preparing comprehensive plans for employment, medical care, housing, and education within the country.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the day, a military transport aircraft (multi-purpose aerial refueling transport aircraft, KC-330) carrying Afghan local staff and their families departed Islamabad Airport in Pakistan at 4:53 a.m.

The transport aircraft is scheduled to arrive at Incheon Airport at 3:53 p.m. It is known that 378 of the 391 Afghans scheduled to enter the country were on board this aircraft. The remaining individuals will depart sequentially using another transport aircraft.

The locals entering Korea are known to be personnel who have served as interpreters and administrative staff at the Embassy of Afghanistan or engineers and medical personnel. There are about 70 families, including approximately 100 infants and toddlers and about 80 children aged 6 to 10. Children under 10 years old make up about half of the 391 individuals.

Upon arrival in Korea, the Afghans will undergo quarantine measures such as PCR testing at Incheon Airport and then be accommodated at the Jincheon Government Officials Human Resources Development Institute in Chungbuk, where they are expected to stay for about 6 to 8 weeks. They will stay in Korea with a 90-day short-term visit (C-3) visa as ‘special contributors,’ not as refugees. During this period, they will decide whether to move to a third country or remain in Korea.

The government plans to prepare employment and education support measures for Afghans who decide to settle in Korea. Park Soo-hyun, the Blue House Communications Chief, appeared on TBS Radio in the morning and said, “Support for issues such as minimum living expenses, medical care, housing, education, and employment will be urgently needed, and we are anticipating these needs and making plans accordingly.”

The Ministry of Justice also announced a legislative notice on the same morning for a partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Control Act, which allows foreigners who have made special contributions to Korea to be granted long-term residency status and to engage in employment activities without restrictions. This aims to improve the current situation where there is no system for granting long-term visas to special contributors.

While concerns have been raised that some of the incoming Afghans might be linked to the Taliban, the government stated that thorough background checks have been conducted. Kim Man-gi, Director of Defense Policy at the Ministry of National Defense, appeared on CBS Radio’s ‘Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show’ and said, “The possibility (of involvement) is almost none,” adding, “Security screenings were thorough, and these were people we knew.” Jincheon, Chungbuk, where the Afghan helpers are expected to stay, has expressed a stance of ‘accepting them magnanimously,’ but opposition voices have also emerged, especially on local mom cafes and similar community platforms.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.