The National Human Rights Commission of Korea announces Chairperson’s statement in commemoration of the World Refugee Day on June 20.
The World Refugee Day was adopted at the UN General Assembly unanimously on December 4, 2000. The day was designated in a bid to protect and call for international attention on refugees whose human rights are barely protected after they left their country of origin due to diverse reasons including war, terrorism, race, religion and political belief.
State has a responsibility to protect and promote its people’s human rights. However, when people are not protected by their own country, there is a need to protect their fundamental human rights at the international level pursuant to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and states who are requested to provide protection has a responsibility to do so.
However, despite international efforts made so far, fundamental solutions to the refugee issue are not identified yet, and Korea is no exception. Korea joined the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (Refugee Convention) in 1992 and in 2012 it enacted the refugee act which went into effect in 2013.
Korea has served as a chair of the EXCOM and in 2015 it explicitly declared a need and responsibility for providing humanitarian aid for the Syrian refugees and its will to take part. This year, Korea is the chair of the UN Human Rights Council which makes its responsibility to act as a leader to protect refugee more grave.
However, according the statistics from the Ministry of Justice, during the period from 1994 to April 2016, only 592 people among 17523 applicants were acknowledged as refugee. This figure far lacks behind the world average in 2014, which is 27%, and there is a concern that it could led to increase of stayers who are recognized as refugee and thus not able to receive minimum assistance for life with dignity
The dire situation at the deportation room at airport is the notable example. 190 Syrian people arrived at Incheon International Airport in November 2015, and among them, 28 people are staying at the deportation room for a long period of time and they are not even applied to the refugee acknowledgement review. The Commission is currently checking the situation at the deportation room.
We need to better understand the dire situation surrounding refugees who decided to left their own country in search for a life with dignity.
The Korean government should actively seek for measures to improve its legislation and system to faithfully implement the refugee convention and address related issues. The Commission will continue to monitor implementation status of the convention and to improve human rights situation of refugee in Korea.
