The NHRCK initiated a Refugee Rights Consultation Tour in celebration of World Refugee Day (June 20). The Tour is held in collaboration with the UNHCR (Office of the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees) and opened on Sunday, June 17th, at the Seongbuk-gu Office in Seoul.
The Tour aims to attain a clear understanding of the human rights conditions of refugees currently residing in the Republic of Korea and those who have applied for refugee status. By providing the necessary consultation, the Commission hopes to increase the daily comfort of the refugees as well as to seek ways to protect and improve refugee rights and conditions.
The Republic of Korea is a signatory to the <Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees> and to the <Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees> (both ratified in Dec. 1992). As of March 31, 2012, a total of 4,345 people have applied for refugee status, but only 278 were recognized. As such, the international society still criticizes the Government for its half-hearted policies regarding refugees.
Moreover, the unstable position of refugee status applicants, the difficulty in guaranteeing basic living for those with humanitarian residence permits, problems involved in granting citizenship to refugees, etc. are all urgent issues that require our constant attention. The Commission, therefore, regards this Tour as an occasion to turn to refugees and refugee status applicants and listen to their plight.
So as to ensure practical help for refugees and refugee status applicants, the Commission held the Tour in collaboration with UNHCR and Nancen (NGO for Refugee Rights), and we invited our own professional consultants and investigators as well as lawyers and labor attorneys especially knowledgeable in refugee rights. Also participating in the Tour were members of Medipeace, an NGO that provides global medical service, who carried out health check-ups and medical consultations for refugees.
Should any of the petitions received during the Consultation Tour become subject to investigation, NHRCK will transfer the petition to its relevant division so that the petitioners may receive aid as soon as possible. The resulting recommendations will be used as basic material for policy reviews and condition reports.
