Refugee Spent 6 Months Living in Incheon Airport

Article from KBS News:

Why was a young African man living at Incheon Airport?

A 20-something African man spent nearly 6 months living in a waiting area in Incheon Airport. At the end of the legal process, he has become a “free body.”

This is the man who ate a chicken burger and cola for three meals every day.

Why did this young African man live in Incheon airport?

The 24-year old young African man spent nearly 6 months living in the departure waiting area at Incheon airport.
Departure waiting area: On the 3rd floor of the airport, it is a little over 100 pyeong [appx. 330 square meteres]. This is where those rejected for entry into Korea must wait [for a flight out of Korea or for the legal process to conclude.] There are chairs, TVs, public telephones, and showers available.

The airline carrier the man used provided him with only a chicken burger for meals. Since entry was barred, he had to use the public telephones to communicate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was effectively detained [in the airport.] This is his story.

The man arrived at Incheon international airport in November 2013. His home country was in the middle of a civil war. Rejecting a notice to enlist in the military, he escaped to Korea.

He had planned originally to enter the country on a temporary visa, but was stopped from doing so at immigration. He could not give the name of who had invited him to Korea, and his declaration of refugee status was denied.

The man was sent back to the departures waiting area. Fearing for his safety if he were to return to his country, he decided to wait it out here in Korea.

He filed 3 lawsuits with the help of a refugee protections group lawyer. The rulings made in April of last year gave him permission to leave the departures area and meet with a lawyer.

At the end of January this year, a judge ruled that he was not given a hearing about his refugee status, which is a violation of Korean law.

Afterwards, the man was able to apply for a full refugee hearing. This is 1 year and 3 months after arriving to [Incheon international] airport.

The lawsuit focused on the fact that when the rules were followed so strictly, the action violated the part of the [Korean] constitution that protects human rights. The opinion was also voiced that airport immigration needs changes in order to meet the needs of refugees.

Following a refugee protections law passed in 2013, the number of applications for refugee status rose sharply.

Do you recall the 2004 film, “Terminal”? This situation is very similar to the events in the movie. It also is about whether or not the leading man will get his happy ending.

Comments from Naver:
dion****

He could be a refugee, or he could be a member of ISIS… If a country takes in every refugee, it will fail.

wann****

I don’t want to know about this kind of news and I don’t feel the need to know it either. Children living in poverty can’t get help from the government, so they are starving. Please care more about the people from this country.

auto****

Trying to make us feel for this guy, but what kind of bullshit is this reporter spewing? He refused to do military service and bounced outta there.

ck2h****

This story is heartbreaking, but what about the many children in our country who are starving? Shouldn’t we feed them before anything else?

syeo****

How is running away from military service a good thing.

miss****

We aren’t a refugee sanctuary. First the government has to protect its own citizens. This country has no responsibility to protect or let in those who came to get away from military service. Reporter, have you lost your mind?

aaaa****

Let’s get rid of this “multiculturalism” stuff. Other countries [that have a lot of diversity] have failed… Why does our country have to be multicultural??

menm****

They wrote this like this man is so pitiful, but he just refused to do military service and came to Korea, then he laid around in the departures waiting area eating chicken burgers and soda for free. He ate well! If war breaks out, can I go to another country and do the same?

is02****

That guy can’t be accepted as a refugee because he was running away from his military service.

sosc****

If we keep taking in refugees, we will be like Europe. [Europe has become] the place for refugees to run to, everyone goes there.

ksyd****

There’s too many of us Koreans crying about how we can’t live. This is just a waste of tax money.

ksyd****

We didn’t pay taxes to help out some douchebag who ran away from his country because he refused to do his military service.

gold****

This is like the time one of ours refused to point a gun at a North Korean, because we are of the same people. If this were a proper country, it would’ve been ruled correct to deny that man entry. It’s never okay for a Korean to avoid military service, so it’s highly contradictory to have a double standard where it’s okay when a foreigner tries to avoid his country’s military service.

rubi****

We’re supposed to feel sympathy for the man who refused to do military service and runs away? While our own country’s youth would be eaten alive and cursed at for doing the same.

kims****

Why did he come to Korea? Go to Japan.

ashd****

The living expenses and a place to stay for refugee applicants is paid for with our taxes. If people keep immigrating here in waves like this, is there nothing else we can do but try to accommodate them? Who is the media rooting for?

mida****

This isn’t the type of thing to draw emotional responses or sympathy. How will this country end up if we let everyone inside under every individual circumstance? Even if he says it’s cruel and curses us after the fact, [the immigration agents] could only judge the situation based on the limited information they had at the time. I think immigration did what they had to do. It might seem strange but I would like to give them credit where credit is due.

qkrd****

Don’t get too friendly with human rights stuff. The countries that take in refugees because they are so pathetic just regret it later as those refugees become tax thieves. If people hear rumors of [Korea letting in refugees,] they will all flock here.

joal****

He’s a military service deserter pretending to be a refugee… It’s not okay to let him in our country.