S. Korea seeks to bar former terrorists from seeking asylum

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, left, and Migration Research & Training Centre Director Woo Byong-yol poses for a photo at the government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province in November. (Yonhap)

The Ministry of Justice has announced plans to strengthen legislation that could ban former members of terrorist organizations from seeking asylum in South Korea.

On Tuesday, the ministry said it will propose a new bill that will allow the government to revoke a person’s refugee status if the individual commits a serious crime in Korea.

The bill will also allow authorities to cancel a person's refugee status after they have been granted asylum in Korea if the individual has a record of associating with terrorist organizations.

The current Refugee Act only allows the government to refuse asylum if an individual's criminal records and evidence of connections to terrorist groups can be procured by authorities before the individual enters the country. The ministry pointed out the loophole in the law, saying that its current iteration allows for asylum to be granted to individuals who have links to terrorist groups, but merely lack official criminal records.

"We plan to propose a new bill that will add a clause to the Refugee Act allowing the government to withhold or revoke refugee status for individuals who ‘may potentially infringe upon the national security, order or the collective good of the public,’” the ministry said in a statement.

“At the moment, there are no legal grounds that allow the government to revoke a person’s refugee status when the person commits a serious crime or new criminal records are found after entering the country,” it added.

The legislative notification period will continue until Jan. 3, during which the ministry will acquire public opinion on the matter. Public opinion will later be reflected in the proposal that will be presented to the National Assembly for approval to become a law.

"There weren't sufficient legal clauses (in the Refugee Act) that ban (those associated with terrorist groups) from being granted refugee status ... After the revision, we will be able to make the safety of the country and the state our priority, which is the global standard," Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said.

By Jung Min-kyung(mkjung@heraldcorp.com)