“Thank you so much to the Korean government for giving us a chance at resettlement.”

“I will study Korean, work hard to get a job and raise my children so that they can live a better life in Korea.”

So said refugees from Myanmar after arriving at Incheon International Airport on Nov. 2. A total of 34 people, making up seven families, expressed their hopes for a new life in Korea, with their arms up in the air and smiling faces.

These refugees experienced hardships due to political and economic insecurity, violence, conflicts and the persecution of minority tribes. They had to live in refugee camps in Myanmar and were not accepted as citizens there. Among the refugees, 26 of them were born in refugee camps. Most of them experienced difficulties and were badly off, which required international humanitarian support.

Their arrival in Korea was made possible through the refugee resettlement system at the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR). In April 2015, Korea decided to enact a pilot project where it would accept refugees over the next three years.

Since then, the Korean government has been accepting refugees who wish to come to Korea. These refugees are recommended by the UNHCR and undergo necessary preparation procedures, such as interviews and screenings. In December last year, Korea received its first group of Myanmar refugees: 22 members from four families.

The newly arrived group of refugees will receive officially recognized refugee status. They will stay at foreign resident support centers run by the Korea Immigration Service for more than six months. There, they will learn how to adapt to their new lives in Korean society, and receive a basic education about law and order in Korea, as they settle in to their new lives in the country. They will receive various forms of support and supplies. Among them are included clothes, such as coats and jackets, products for toddlers and new-born babies, bags and shoes and other school supplies.





Commissioner Kim Woo-hyun of the Korea Immigration Service said, “The Ministry of Justice has been actively participating in solving the refugee issue by accepting the resettlement of refugees in Korea.” “I hope the Korean citizens can take care of them with great warmth, so that they can live together with us as part of our society,” Kim added.

Naveed Syed Hussain, chief of the UNHCR's Korea office, said that he wholeheartedly welcomes Korea’s second group of resettled refugees. He expressed his will to maintain a close cooperative relationship with the Korean government in regard to protection and support for newly resettled refugees as they begin their lives in Korea.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Ministry of Justice
arete@korea.kr