



South Koreans held rallies on refugees on Saturday (June 30) in Seoul, after a rapid rise in the number of Yemeni asylum seekers sparked anti-refugee sentiment in the racially homogeneous country.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in central Seoul and chanted anti-refugee slogans such as "Our safety is first," and "Abolish no-visa policy". Meanwhile just across the street, dozens of civic group members held a rally to support refugees and chanted welcoming slogans. Police were positioned around the protest area, however no clashes broke out.

More than 552 people from Yemen arrived on the southern resort island of Jeju between January and May, more than the 430 Yemenis who had ever applied for refugee status in South Korea, the Justice ministry said. The reason the asylum seekers have chosen Jeju can be traced to a direct flight from Kuala Lumpur, established by budget carrier AirAsia X in December, the ministry added.

South Korea began accepting refugee applications in 1994 after acceding to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1992. The country also enacted the Refugee Act in 2013, becoming the first Asian country to pass its own refugee legislation which allows protection for refugees that have sufficient grounds for fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, social group or political view. (Reuters)