Afghan Special Contributors Begin Life in Jincheon... Long-Term Stay with Residence Visa After Education

Most COVID-19 Tests Negative... Remaining 13 Arrive in Afternoon, 'Miracle Operation' Completed

On the 27th, 377 Afghan collaborators and their families who set foot on Korean soil will begin living at the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, Chungbuk.

All Afghan special contributors and their families departed for the Jincheon Human Resources Development Institute at 8:31 a.m. from a temporary quarantine facility at a hotel in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, boarding 13 buses.

An Afghan who once helped Korea is boarding a bus on the 27th at the Marina Bay Hotel in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, heading to the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, Chungbuk. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] On the 27th, 377 Afghan collaborators and their families who set foot on Korean soil will begin living at the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, Chungbuk. All Afghan special contributors and their families departed for the Human Resources Development Institute at 8:31 a.m. from a temporary quarantine facility at a hotel in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, boarding 13 buses.

They are scheduled to stay at the Human Resources Development Institute for 6 to 8 weeks, undergoing a 2-week quarantine followed by settlement education, after which they are expected to move to other government-provided facilities. Most of the special contributors and their families tested negative in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests conducted the previous day at Incheon International Airport, while some are still awaiting results.

The Ministry of Justice plans to send those whose test results have not yet come out to the Human Resources Development Institute to wait there. The government will deploy about 40 support personnel, including medical staff, to assist with their living arrangements within the facility.

Their status will also change soon. Afghans who entered the country with short-term visit (C-3) arrival visas issued at the airport the previous day will have their status changed to a residence permit (F-1) that allows long-term stay, granting them stable residency status. After completing education, they will be issued a residence (F-2) visa that allows free employment. The 'F-2' visa is issued to those who intend to stay long-term in Korea to obtain permanent residency and allows a stay of up to five years per issuance without restrictions on employment activities.

However, under current laws, it is impossible to issue residence visas to Afghan collaborators and their families. Accordingly, the Ministry of Justice has begun revising the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Control Act to allow residence visas to be granted to foreigners who have made special contributions to the Republic of Korea or contributed to the public interest.

The remaining 13 Afghans who could not board the transport plane due to lack of space will also arrive at Incheon Airport on the same day. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the military transport plane carrying the remaining 13 Afghan collaborators departed Islamabad Airport in Pakistan around 7 p.m. the previous day and is scheduled to arrive at Incheon Airport at 1:20 p.m. on the 27th.

With the arrival of these 13 in addition to the 377 who arrived earlier, the Miracle Operation to safely transfer 390 collaborators will be completed. Initially, 428 people had applied for entry, but the rest chose to remain in their hometowns or go to third countries. The second group of entrants will undergo the same entry process as the Afghans who arrived the previous day.

The Ministry of Justice has expressed its intention to consider additional support measures for Afghans. As a preemptive measure, humanitarian special stay measures have been implemented for Afghans currently residing in Korea. This applies to 434 Afghans with long- and short-term stays who are legally residing but have difficulty extending their stay period and wish to remain in Korea, granting them special stay status.

They will also be eligible for employment after screening. However, those without domestic guarantors or connections, or serious criminals such as violent offenders, will be subject to protective measures. The 72 individuals whose stay periods have expired and who have been handed over to police and related agencies will be allowed to voluntarily depart once the situation in Afghanistan stabilizes.

Meanwhile, on his way to the Government Complex Gwacheon on the same day, Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye explained the background for designating Afghans not as refugees or special contributors but as 'special contributors.' Minister Park said, "Special contributors usually apply to cases where nationality is granted due to special contributions, and we have decided that it would be better to pursue legislation under the term 'special contributors' going forward," adding, "I will speak about refugee policy after some time has passed."

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