An asylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of Congo spent 14 months at Seoul’s terminal in a pandemic and arrived in Incheon in February 2020 to be released last week. At the heart of this unusual story is the refusal of the South Korean authorities to study his asylum application.
as reported from Seoul, Nicolas rocca
One year and two months sleep at airports, without daylight, only to be able to wash and wash in the toilets in Terminal 1 at Incheon Airport. While the world lived a year marked by the pandemic, this asylum seeker, who wants to keep his identity secret, did not cross the boundaries of the transit zone.
While he has repeatedly renewed requests for refugee status in South Korea, the Ministry of Justice denied him, until last Tuesday, the opportunity to present his case. He refused to return home where he told local media that he was in mortal danger and therefore decided to wait.
Less than 1% of status requests are met
With the help of humanitarian associations and his lawyers who sent him enough to meet his needs, he won a first trial last week. The court has forced South Korea to consider its claim, but the Ministry of Justice has appealed the decision and a court in Seoul will rule on Wednesday.
According to his lawyer, the probability that he will receive refugee status is still low. In 2020, less than 1% of inquiries received a positive response.
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