[No. 24-22 Human Rights#7]
Hello, this is Refugee News from MAP📰
MAP signed the 2024 World Refugee Day joint statement, ” We Condemn the Cuts to the Refugee Living Expenses Budget.”
We Condemn the Cuts to the Refugee Living Expenses Budget
2024 World Refugee Day joint statement
※’ Refugee applicant’ and ‘asylum seeker’ are terms used interchangeably. Internationally, the term ‘asylum seeker’ is used, but for clarity, MAP will use the term ‘refugee applicant’.
The refugee living expenses support system is the only system for supporting the livelihood of refugee applicants. Many refugee applicants experience economic hardship while undergoing refugee status determination procedures in Korea. However, the government cut the 2024 refugee living expenses budget by 20%. The 2024 budget for refugee living expenses stands at 568.096 million won. This is only enough to provide about 430,000 won per person for three months to 400 people.
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According to the monitoring results of the Ministry of Justice’s refugee-related budget over the past five years (2019-2023) by the Refugee Rights Center, the government allocated about 800 million won annually for refugee living expenses support until 2022. This amount could provide about 430,000 won per person for three months to 590 people. However, this was not sufficient for refugee applicants who couldn’t obtain work permits for six months after applying for refugee status. Additionally, the living expenses budget was not properly executed each year.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many refugee applicants lost their jobs and could not receive disaster relief funds, severely threatening their livelihood. Despite this, the sole support system was ineffective as it could only provide support for the first six months after applying for refugee status. With restricted immigration and entry into the country, the number of asylum applications significantly decreased. The execution rate of the living expenses budget was only 6.2% in 2021.
However, in 2022, the number of refugee applicants exceeded 10,000, similar to pre-COVID-19 levels. Yet only 29% of the 839.362 million won budget for living expenses was spent. Consequently, only 1.5% of all refugee applicants received living expenses support.
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Many refugee applicants find it difficult to survive and need living support. However, the lack of substantive policy to support livelihoods such as information provision, procedural guidance, and cooperation within government agencies resulted in poor execution of the living expenses budget every year. Particularly during the COVID-19 period, the reduction in refugee applications and living expenses support led to a shocking budget cut. The 2023 living expenses budget was reduced by about 100 million won, and further by over 140 million won (about 20%) in 2024.
With the worsening of international conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s mass killings of Palestinians, the number of refugee applications in Korea increased. In 2023, the number reached a record high of 18,838 since the operation of the refugee system. However, the refugee living expenses budget is at its lowest since the implementation of the Refugee Act. This shows that the government is seriously neglecting its responsibility for the survival of refugee applicants.
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The UNHCR states that “to guarantee the rights specified in the convention and to fulfill obligations under international human rights law, the state must provide an adequate standard of living to refugee applicants throughout the refugee recognition process.” It also defines ‘constructive non-refoulement’ as “returning the refugee applicants and refugees to areas where they will face danger due to the state’s actions or inactions, including policies and practices that threaten their legal, material, and physical safety.”
In the past, the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled that “insufficient cash support for refugee applicants violates the fundamental right to minimum survival derived from human dignity. This right must be guaranteed to foreigners residing in Germany as well. The government must not discriminate against basic social security benefits based on residency status, and the legislature must always adhere to the specific need to ensure survival.”
The Seoul High Court ruled that “Providing financial support to asylum seekers is not just a generous act. It is especially important during the first six months when they are not allowed to work, as it helps ensure their right to survive.”
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It is the responsibility of the state to ensure the basic livelihood of refugee applicants. However, as the government operates the support system formally and administratively, many refugee applicants face extreme survival situations upon entering Korea. We condemn the government for neglecting its responsibility by cutting the budget. We demand the immediate normalization of the living expenses budget so that it can effectively guarantee the livelihood of refugee applicants along with other treatment systems. Ensure the provision of information and the convenience of procedures for applying for living expenses so that aid can be promptly provided to refugee applicants in need.
June 20, 2024