hankyoreh

After South Korean Justice Minister Park Sang-ki announced stiffer refugee review processes for filtering out false applications, human rights activists for refugee rights have rallied against what they call an inherently racist and xenophobic system. The demonstrators are claiming that the government’s compulsory review of applicants’ health conditions, criminal records, and past drug use are prejudiced in nature and need to be reformed. South Korea’s current protection rate of refugees stands at 11.4 percent, compared to the average of 38 percent in other parties in the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. (Jung Yong-il, staff photographer)