Hello. This is MAP’s Refugee News.

On Tuesday, May 14, 2024, a press conference was held at Cheonggye Plaza. It called on the Korean government to recognize as refugees those Russians who chose to become refugees rather than take part in Russia’s war. Let’s take a closer look at the press conference.

For a plain-language version, please visit the website: https://buly.kr/FAbJgmC

Recognize Russian Conscientious Objectors Who Refused an War of Aggression as Refugees

More than two years have passed since the war in Ukraine began. Given Russia’s political and economic situation — where the regime would clearly face a crisis without the war — Russia shows little sign of wanting to end it. At the same time, just as early miscalculations already showed, Russia is unlikely to achieve Putin’s goal of militarily occupying Ukraine, making a prolonged war of attrition the most probable outcome. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) reported that at least 30,457 civilian casualties occurred over the past two years. Of these, 1,885 were children.

Despite its constitutional obligation to work for the maintenance of international peace, the Korean government has made no active diplomatic or peaceful efforts regarding the war in Ukraine over the past two years. On the contrary, as exports of Korean-made weapons increased due to wartime demand, the government celebrated this as a triumph of “K-defense industry” and has focused solely on profit.

Even now, the Korean government must make diplomatic and peaceful efforts to end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible. In particular, it must recognize as refugees those Russian conscientious objectors who refused to shoot at Ukrainian people and fled Russia.

After the Russian government announced mobilization orders for reservists in September 2022, many Russians subject to conscription refused to participate in the war of aggression and fled Russia. Some of them came to Korea, believing it to be a democratic country that values freedom and human rights.

However, the Korean government did not even grant them eligibility to undergo refugee screening. Refugees attempting to enter through Incheon Airport were effectively detained in the airport’s immigration waiting area, left there for months with no end in sight. Hundreds of Russian refugees ultimately gave up on coming to Korea and moved on to other countries. Five people remained and filed administrative lawsuits against the Korean government’s decision to deny them even the right to a refugee screening; they barely managed to obtain that eligibility, yet the actual screening continues to be postponed indefinitely.

Meanwhile, among Russians who were already staying in Korea before the war broke out, some filed refugee applications in Korea after becoming subject to mobilization following the mobilization order. A total of 5,750 Russian nationals applied for refugee status with the Korean government in 2023. Not a single one of them has passed refugee screening. The Korean government keeps repeating that draft evasion is not grounds for refugee status, and to date has not recognized even one person who refused to participate in Russia’s war as a refugee.

Those who face persecution because they refused to participate in the war are clearly political refugees. People who have applied for refugee status to escape political or religious persecution in their home countries have the right to protection under international law. Now that more than two years have passed since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Korean government should not be boasting about weapons export figures — it should recognize and protect Russian conscientious objectors who refused the war and came to Korea. We demand the following of the Korean government:

The Korean government must promptly recognize as refugees the Russians who refused the war and applied for refugee status in Korea! The Korean government must strengthen humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, which has suffered the devastation of war! The Korean government must make diplomatic and peaceful efforts to bring the war to an end!

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