SEOUL (UCAN): Ethnic Korean refugees in the Koryoin Village in Gwangju, who fled from war-torn Ukraine to South Korea face the threat of deportation after their request for a visa extension was denied by the government, citing a lack of “precedent.”
“Koryoin” refers to descendants of Koreans who migrated to former Soviet states during the period of the Joseon dynasty and Japan’s imperial rule in Korea. An estimated 500,000 Koryoins are settled in former Soviet states including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.
Moon Angelica, 30, and her three-year-old son, and her family are among 10 other Koryoin families who face repatriation to Ukraine, the Yonhap news agency reported on January 27.
Lee Chun-Yeong, a pastor at Gwangju Koryoin Village Church pointed out that government support was extended even after the situation in Ukraine stabilised.
“In the early days of the war, our government promised to support Ukrainian refugees, [and] descendants of Koryoin, until the local situation stabilises and even after their visas expired. [This] should not be forgotten,” Lee pointed out.
Thousands of families fled to South Korea when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The South Korean government issued them a travel permit and a short-term 90-day visa which was later upgraded to a refugee visa with a validity of six months.
In the early days of the war, our government promised to support Ukrainian refugees, [and] descendants of Koryoin, until the local situation stabilises and even after their visas expired. [This] should not be forgotten
Lee Chun-yeong
To re-issue a refugee visa, a valid travel document issued by the government is required for the extension application.
In the case of Moon and her family, the refugee visa will expire in April and the denial of their request for a fresh travel document will lead to repatriation back to their country of origin. Their plight is further complicated as the only identity documents they have in hand are their birth certificates.
In 2022, Koryoin Village sheltered around 7,000 ethnic Korean refugees who returned from various countries under different circumstances.
South Korea has strongly denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Catholic Church in the country has also stepped up to support Ukrainian people who fled to other countries. Since the outbreak of war, Catholics have generously offered donations to Caritas Korea, and a total of 711,295,864 won [$4.07 million] was raised through a special fundraising campaign from March to October 2022.
Various individuals and organisations also joined hands to support Ukrainian refugees.
Among those are Sharing Foundation [$572,250], Catholic Peace Broadcasting [$784,920], the Archdiocese of Daegu [$572,250], the Archdiocese of Chuncheon [$171,675], the Bishops’ Conference of Korea [$171,675], Korean Catholic Lay Apostolate and various Korean church organizations [$85,837].
