[Photo] Human rights commission says it’s unlawful to prevent undocumented children from leaving South Korea

In a ruling concerning the practice of preventing undocumented migrant children from leaving the country because their mothers didn’t pay a fine, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea declared the practice has “no legal standing” on May 3. The commission ruled that the prevention of undocumented migrant children from leaving Korea was a violation international human rights agreements and practices that guaranteed their right to leave South Korea. Authorities estimated in February that around 2,895 undocumented migrants under the age of 18 currently reside in South Korea, and that over 20 thousand foreign children remain unregistered due to fears of legal repercussions.