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MAP signed the 2024 World Refugee Day joint statement, “We condemn the cut to the refugee living expenses budget.”
We condemn the cut to the refugee living expenses budget
Joint statement for World Refugee Day 2024
※ “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 that supports the livelihoods of asylum seekers. Many asylum seekers experience economic hardship while going through refugee status determination procedures in Korea. However, the government cut the 2024 refugee living expenses budget by 20%. The 2024 refugee living expenses budget is 568.096 million won. This is enough to provide only about 430,000 won per person for three months to 400 people.
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According to the results of the monitoring 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 per year 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 could not obtain work permits for six months after applying for refugee status. In addition, the living expenses budget was not properly executed every year.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many asylum seekers lost their jobs and could not receive disaster relief funds, which severely threatened their livelihoods. Despite this, the only support system was not effective because it could provide support only during the first six months after applying for refugee status. With restrictions on migration and entry into the country, the number of refugee applications dropped sharply. 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. Nevertheless, only 29% of the 839.362 million won living expenses budget was spent. As a result, only 1.5 percent of all asylum seekers received living expenses support.
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Many refugee applicants find it hard to survive and need living support. However, the lack of an objective livelihood support policy, such as providing information, procedural guidance, and cooperation within government agencies, has led to poor execution of the living expenses budget every year. During the COVID-19 period in particular, the decrease in refugee applications and living expenses support led to a shocking decline in the budget. The 2023 living expenses budget was cut by about 100 million won, and by more than 140 million won (about 20%) in 2024.
As international conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s mass killing of Palestinians have worsened, the number of refugee applications in Korea has increased. In 2023, the number reached a record 18,838 since the refugee system was opened. However, the refugee living expenses budget is at its lowest level since the implementation of the Refugee Act. This shows that the government is gravely neglecting its responsibility for the survival of asylum seekers.
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The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees states that “to ensure the rights specified in the Convention and to fulfil obligations under international human rights law, the State must provide an adequate standard of living for refugee applicants throughout the refugee recognition process.” It also defines “constructive refoulement” as “the return of asylum seekers and refugees to areas where they would face risk because of State actions or omissions, 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 a minimum subsistence derived from human dignity. This right must also be guaranteed to foreigners residing in Germany. The government must not discriminate in basic social security benefits on the basis of residence 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 merely an act of generosity. It is especially important during the first six months when they are not permitted to work, because it helps ensure their right to survive.”
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The State has a responsibility to ensure the basic livelihood of refugee applicants. However, because the government runs the support system in a formal and administrative manner, many refugee applicants face harsh conditions for survival when they enter 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 ensure the livelihoods of asylum seekers alongside other treatment systems. We also demand that information provision and the suitability of procedures for applying for living expenses be ensured so that aid can be given immediately to asylum seekers in need.
20 June 2024