The Challenges in Balancing National Interests and Global Responsibilities in South Korea’s Refugee Policy

Development summary

The article examines South Korea’s refugee policy beginning with the 2013 law intended to improve the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. It analyses the controversy following the arrival of more than 500 asylum seekers from Yemen in 2018 and problems in the refugee status determination process affecting asylum seekers’ basic rights, while assessing South Korea’s capacity to reconcile national interests with its responsibilities under the 1951 Refugee Convention.