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| Asylum seekers participate in a rally in Jongno, central Seoul, organized by Amnesty and NANCEN, a local refugee rights' group, calling for better treatment and review processes, Sept. 16, 2018. Korea Times file |
The National Human Rights Commission called for giving multiple-time asylum applicants the same privileges as those enjoyed by first-time applicants as it marked World Refugee Day, Monday.
The commission pointed out that withholding work permits and other livelihood support for multiple-time asylum seekers constitutes "not only a breach of the state duty of protection but also violates the non-refoulement principle and refugees' rights."
"The justice minister needs to come up with a process to provide minimum support necessary for re-applicants' survival or work permits when the examination period for their refugee application is unnecessarily prolonged," the commission said.
It also urged efforts to prevent unnecessary delays in the examination of refugee applications.
According to the justice ministry, Korea saw a total of 2,341 applications for refugee status last year, of which 1,044 were by re-applicants. The average time taken for the examination of a refugee application was 17.3 months. (Yonhap)
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