Korean Version of 'The Terminal'... Will Homeless Russian in Korea Be Recognized as a Refugee?

Avoiding Russian Conscription, Living at Airport in Korea for 4 Months
Must Overcome 'Strict Screening and Negative Public Sentiment' Barrier

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Attention is focused on the results as Russian nationals staying at Incheon International Airport, who chose exile instead of conscription, are set to undergo refugee screening. Five Russians who came to Korea in October and November last year, respectively, to avoid the conscription order issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin in September last year, have been sleeping rough at Incheon International Airport for 3 to 4 months.

Previously, they applied for refugee screening with the Ministry of Justice but were rejected. The Incheon Airport Immigration Office under the Ministry of Justice refused to refer their refugee screening, stating that "simple evasion of military service does not constitute grounds for refugee status."

Human rights organizations assisting Russian refugees have criticized the Ministry of Justice's refusal to allow refugee screening. According to these organizations, the Russian refugees receive only one lunch meal per day, with the rest of their meals consisting of insufficient food such as bread and beverages. Their movement is restricted to the departure hall and duty-free area, and they have almost no access to medical services or mental health support.

Ultimately, with the help of human rights groups, the Russian refugees filed a lawsuit against the head of the Incheon Airport Immigration Office to cancel the decision not to refer them for refugee recognition screening. On the 14th, the court ruled in favor of the Russian refugees, allowing some of them to undergo refugee screening.

However, no remarkable results have emerged yet. The outcome of the refugee screening remains unknown, and since the court only partially ruled in favor of two of the three Russians who arrived in Korea in October last year, the remaining one cannot undergo refugee screening. Additionally, the lawsuit results for the two Russians who entered in November last year have not yet been announced.

On the morning of the 1st, Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Although they have reached the refugee screening stage, they still face the challenge of passing the strict refugee screening process. Korea's refugee recognition rate is much lower than the OECD average (24.8% as of 2020). According to the monthly immigration and foreigner policy statistics report from December last year, since 1994 until the end of December last year, there have been 84,922 refugee applicants, with 46,506 screening decisions completed. Among them, only 1,338 (2.9%) were granted refugee status.

Some raise concerns about whether it is appropriate to accept refugees who have fled conscription in a country with mandatory military service. On the 30th of last month, US CNN reported, "In South Korea, where all healthy males aged 18 to 35 are subject to military service, conscription is a sensitive issue," adding, "Even national athletes or K-pop superstars cannot be exempted from military service." If Russians who fled conscription are immediately recognized as refugees, it could ignite controversy over Korea's strict conscription system.

However, considering that this war originated from the Russian invasion, there are counterarguments that their asylum reasons cannot be simply interpreted as refusal of conscription. Their refusal to be conscripted should be seen as asylum due to political persecution. Currently, all men over 60 years old without a criminal record in Russia are subject to conscription. Those who refuse to fight are detained in underground facilities in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and are prosecuted for desertion.

Negative public sentiment toward refugees also remains a significant barrier. When Yemenis entered Jeju Island in April 2018 to escape civil war, there was considerable opposition from the public.

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