On August 29, 2025, TV Chosun reported an incident in which a Yemeni asylum seeker was assaulted by a staff member at a government-run foreigner detention center under the Ministry of Justice. CCTV footage showed the staff member choking and punching the refugee. The incident had been concealed for nearly a year, and the Ministry of Justice only launched an investigation after the media report. Although the investigation is still ongoing, the CCTV footage clearly shows kicking and choking, leaving little doubt that such acts occurred.
Human rights organizations for refugees and migrants view this case not as the personal misconduct of a single employee but as evidence of structural problems. Currently, foreigner detention centers operate by confining refugees who cannot be forcibly deported for long periods, pressuring them to “voluntarily” leave Korea. Human rights groups have criticized these facilities as a “prison without an exit,” noting that even though the Constitutional Court has already ruled indefinite detention unconstitutional, no meaningful reforms have been made.
Detainees in these centers are pressured with questions such as, “Why don’t you return?” even though returning would mean being sent back to war zones or other life-threatening conditions. They are forced to choose what is tantamount to “suicide” through so-called voluntary departure. When they resist, they are locked in solitary confinement or subjected to indirect physical abuse. The current case has also brought renewed attention to the past “shrimp torture case,” after which the Ministry of Justice promised to prevent recurrence. However, beatings and ill-treatment continue, and in practice, it remains difficult to hold anyone accountable.
In response to this incident, the organizations are calling for the following:
- A thorough investigation and punishment of those responsible.
- Immediate release from detention, apology, and compensation for the Yemeni asylum seeker who was abused.
- Withdrawal of deportation orders for refugees who cannot in fact be returned.
- Strengthened human rights training for detention center staff to prevent recurrence.
Dozens of organizations, including the Refugee Rights Network and the Network to End Immigration Detention, stated: “This incident demonstrates how Korean society treats refugees and migrants. The government must no longer evade responsibility but establish fundamental measures to guarantee the rights and dignity of refugees.”
