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Five Russian men who have fled Russia after the government's military mobilization order last September have been stranded at South Korea's Incheon International Airport for months after authorities refused to accept them.
Three of the men arrived at the airport last October and two in November, according to their lawyer Lee Jong-chan. But since their applications for refugee status were denied by the South Korean Justice Ministry, they’ve been at the airport’s departure lounge for months waiting for a ruling on their appeal, according to Lee.
“They’re provided with one meal a day, which is lunch, but for the rest of the day, they’re living off of bread and drinks. They’re able to shower but have to wash their clothes by hand and they cannot leave the departure and duty-free areas,” Lee told CNN. “They have limited access to medical care but no support for their mental health which is important considering their precarious situation,” he added.
A news release issued last month by a South Korean human rights advocacy group called on the government to accept the men's applications on grounds the men refuse to become a “tool of murder” and if they return home, “it is highly likely for them to be detained or forcibly drafted.”
South Korea's Ministry of Justice has dismissed their applications as “not being worthy of evaluation,” on the ground that a refusal of conscription was not a reason for refugee recognition,” according to Lee, who has reviewed the document from the ministry.
Lee argues that the men’s refusal to serve in the military “should be recognized as a political reason considering the current situation that the war [in Ukraine] is condemned by international law.”
"[The men] are political refugees who face persecution," the news release from the activist group said, adding, "Those who apply for refugee status upon escaping political and religious persecution from their home countries have rights to protection under international law. … As a developed, democratic state that guarantees human rights, [South] Korea has been inconspicuously rejecting refugees who have objected to war.”
The men have appealed the decision, and three of them will face their first court ruling on Jan. 31, during which the court will decide whether or not their case is "worthy of evaluation," according to Lee. If the court rules in their favor, the Justice Ministry will then have to review their applications for refugee status.
South Korea has mandatory military service and takes draft evasion seriously.