Two Russians Who Fled War Appeal For Asylum in South Korea.

Facts

• Two Russian men who have been living in the Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea since October were on Tuesday granted the right to leave the terminal building and apply for refugee status by a South Korean court.¹
• The Incheon District Court rejected another Russian man's plea for refugee status without detailing its justifications. The asylum requests of two other Russian men still stranded in the airport will be decided by the Court later this month.²
• All the men fled to South Korea to avoid being drafted to fight in the war in Ukraine. Seeking to avoid military service does not currently qualify as a valid reason for receiving refugee status in South Korea, where native males are required to serve at least 18 months in the armed forces.³
• The two men will now be allowed to leave the airport and are set to be settled in South Korea while undergoing the asylum recognition process, which could take several years. The third Russian man is able to appeal the decision, but would be forced to stay in the airport during the process.⁴
• South Korea has signed international conventions on refugees but typically accepts very few each annum.³
• After Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilization of 300K troops last September, thousands of Russians reportedly fled the country to avoid conscription into the Russian army and deployment in the Ukraine war.⁵

Sources: ¹Epicos, ²The moscow times, ³Al arabiya english, ⁴Al Jazeera and ⁵Politico.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. It is immensely disappointing to see how long it took for these men to be allowed to plea for refugee status and even more upsetting that another man has been rejected. Having fled Russia to avoid killing or being killed in an unjust war in Ukraine, these people can no longer return to their home nation without facing punishing measures. South Korea should accept these refugees, who have shown bravery in abandoning their home country and conscientiously objecting to an illegal war.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Al arabiya english. Although these men may fear punishment if they return to Russia, avoiding compulsory military service is not a valid reason for a refugee status claim. South Korea has been generous enough to accept two applications on these grounds, but it is not the place of the international community to make moral judgements about South Korea's asylum criteria.

Predictions