"Russian Draft Evasion Refugees" Kazakhstani Broker Organization Exposed

Arranged Refugee Applications for 157 Foreign Residents in Korea
Collected a Total of 180 Million Won, 1.2 Million Won per Person

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A broker organization that pretended to seek asylum to avoid Russian conscription orders and arranged refugee status for foreigners in Korea has been caught.

On the 12th, the Immigration Special Investigation Unit of the Seoul Immigration Office announced that they arrested Mr. A (28), a Kazakhstani national, who helped foreigners apply for refugee status by presenting false information, along with Mr. B (22) of the same nationality, and sent Mr. C (33), also of the same nationality, to the prosecution without detention.

They are accused of violating the Immigration Control Act by falsely arranging refugee applications for 157 foreigners residing in Korea from May to September last year and pocketing a total of about 180 million KRW, charging 1.2 million KRW per person.

Mr. A and Mr. B recruited foreigners seeking refugee status through messengers such as WhatsApp and Telegram, while Mr. C played a role in fabricating fake stories such as military conscription. They also prepared false or forged documents required for refugee applications.

Mr. A entered Korea in July 2018 for tourism purposes and has been staying illegally. He applied for refugee status on the false grounds that he could be mistaken as a criminal and face criminal punishment in his home country, but after being denied, he continued to stay illegally and worked as a refugee broker with Mr. B and Mr. C.

The Immigration Special Investigation Unit deported 14 people, including seven Kazakhstani nationals who obtained residency status through false refugee applications via these individuals, and is tracking the whereabouts of the remaining 143 people.

They are also investigating the owner of a goshiwon who prepared documents falsely stating foreigners’ places of residence, in cooperation with the relevant authorities.

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