[No. 24-18 Human Rights #5]
Hello, this is MAP Refugee News📰
On May 14, 2024 (Tuesday), a press conference was held at Cheonggye Plaza. The purpose was to urge the recognition of Russians who chose to become refugees to avoid participating in the Russian war. Let’s take a closer look at the press conference.
🔹 Since September 2022, when the Russian government announced a mobilization order for reserve forces to fill its insufficient manpower, many Russians have chosen to become refugees to avoid participating in the war. Some of them have headed to South Korea.
🔹 However, the South Korean government has not recognized a single Russian as a refugee.
🔹 In response, South Korean civil society organizations held a press conference opposing the invasion war in Ukraine and urging the recognition of Russian draft dodgers as refugees. They also submitted a petition to the Ministry of Justice.
The South Korean government must recognize Russian draft dodgers who refuse to participate in the invasion war as refugees!
The war in Ukraine has been going on for over 2 years now. Considering the political and economic crisis Russia will face without the war, it is unlikely that the war will end anytime soon. The conflict will continue in a stalemate, as Putin’s initial intentions to occupy Ukraine militarily have not been realized. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has announced that there have been at least 30,457 civilian casualties over the past 2 years, including 1,885 children.
Despite its constitutional obligation to strive for international peacekeeping efforts, the South Korean government has not actively pursued diplomatic efforts for peace in Ukraine over the past 2 years. Instead, there has been an increase in the export of South Korean weapons, and they hailed it as a triumph for the “K-defense industry,” focusing solely on profit.
It is now imperative for the South Korean government to make diplomatic and peaceful efforts to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible. In particular, the government should recognize Russian draft dodgers who have escaped from Russia to avoid shooting Ukrainian people as refugees.
Following the announcement of the Russian government’s mobilization order for reservists in September 2022, many Russians refused to participate in the invasion war and fled Russia. Some came to Korea, believing it to be a democratic country that values freedom and human rights.
However, the South Korean government did not even grant them an opportunity for asylum screening. Russian refugees who tried to enter Incheon Airport were detained in the Incheon Airport immigration waiting room for months without any assurance. Hundreds of Russian refugees eventually gave up on coming to Korea and moved to other countries. Five remained and underwent asylum screening after challenging the South Korean government’s refusal through administrative litigation. However, their asylum screening process is still indefinitely postponed.
There are also Russians who were staying in Korea before the war broke out and applied for refugee status when they became eligible for the mobilization order. All 5,750 Russian nationals who applied for refugee status with the Korean government in 2023 have yet to pass asylum screening. The South Korean government continues to reiterate that draft evasion is not a reason for refugee status and has not recognized a single person who has refused the Russian war as a refugee.
Those who are persecuted for refusing to participate in the war are political refugees. Those who apply for asylum to escape political or religious persecution in their own country have the right to international protection under international law. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its third year, the South Korean government should not boast about its weapons export performance. Instead, it should oppose the war, protect Russian draft dodgers who have sought refuge in Korea, and recognize them as refugees. We demand the following from the South Korean government:
The South Korean government should promptly recognize Russians who have applied for asylum in Korea as refugees!
The South Korean government should enhance humanitarian support to Ukraine, which has been affected by the war!
The South Korean government should make diplomatic and peaceful efforts to halt the war!
May 14, 2024
Participants of the press conference