Court Orders "Ministry of Justice Must Disclose Guidelines on Refugee Screening"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The court has once again ruled that the guidelines for refugee screening, treatment, and stay, which serve as the standards for refugee examination, must be disclosed.

The Seoul High Court 4-3 Division (Presiding Judges Kim Jae-ho, Kwon Ki-hoon, Han Kyu-hyun) on the 30th ruled in favor of the plaintiff, the Refugee Human Rights Center, in the lawsuit against the Minister of Justice seeking cancellation of the refusal to disclose information, the same as in the first trial.

However, unlike the first trial which ruled full disclosure of all information and a complete victory for the plaintiff, the appellate court partially ruled in favor of the plaintiff by maintaining non-disclosure of the guidelines concerning refugee applicants whose passports and visas have expired.

This follows the precedent set by the Supreme Court that refugee-related guidelines are subject to disclosure except for parts deemed to affect national interests.

Previously, the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the guidelines related to refugee recognition screening, treatment, and stay must be disclosed, but the Ministry of Justice has continuously been criticized for selectively disclosing the guidelines thereafter.

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