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Broker‘s system of false refugee applications
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Criminals recruit applicants via social media and falsify background stories for exorbitant fees
South Korean police have apprehended brokers who filed false refugee applications for international residents seeking illegal sojourns and employment in South Korea. Included in the indictment was an attorney who earned hundreds of millions of won using a “story maker” to come up with false refugee stories. The foreign criminal affairs department of Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office under director Kim Do-hyeong announced on Apr. 9 that it had arrested and indicted 13 individuals, including a 53-year-old attorney identified by the initial “K,” and indicted another nine without detention, including a 54-year-old administrator identified by the initial “P,” on charges of violating the Immigration Control Act. K is alleged to have earned a total of 200 million won (US$175,267) producing false certificates and filing falsified refugee status applications on behalf of 180 international residents from Thailand, the Philippines, and other countries between October 2016 and November 2018. K used a story maker to develop falsified refugee application accounts for false refugees recruited by two managers through social networking services. Among the fabricated stories were claims that applicants were being threatened with death by Islamic militants or rebel army groups, or that Christian applicants were being threatened by Buddhism advocates. The investigation found the applicants to have paid sums of 3 to 4 million won (US$2,632-3,510) to K, as the review period – typically three to five years – would allow them to remain and earn money in South Korea even if they were not eventually granted refugee status. K was found to have paid 30–50% of the fees as a commission to managers for referring the potential applications, earning profits of 100 million won (US$87,744) per manager. The detained P and another administrator were found to have conspired with Mongolian and Vietnamese nationals to file false refugee applications on behalf of around 100 foreigners. To carry out their duties, they stored refugee application forms on their computer according to different types (including political and religious grounds), changing only the personal details for individual applicants. Among the brokers caught by police was a group that brought Kazakh women into South Korea illegally, had them submit false refugee status applications, and employed them in establishments engaged in prostitution. Nine individuals – including a 45-year-old general manager identified by the initial D, who was placed under detention – are being charged with bringing Kazakh women into South Korea without visas between August 2017 and February 2019, enabling them to stay for long periods of time through falsified refugee applications, and giving them jobs at “adult entertainment” businesses. The individuals in question are alleged to have committed their crimes in an organized fashion, with a division of labor including fund management, interpreting, airplane ticket duties, and pickup. Prosecutors conducted a joint investigation with the Incheon Office of Immigration over a six-month period from October 2018 to April 2019, analyzing documents for 4,000 refugee applicants and sharing information on criminal acts. Of the 4,000 applicants, around 600 were found by prosecutors to have been “fake refugees.” Prosecutors plan to share the list of fake applicants from their investigation with the Korea Immigration Service, who in turn plan to forcibly deport the individuals in question. “Regulations in place to protect refugees are being abused by brokers and foreigners seeking to stay in the country illegally for long periods of time to earn money,” an official with the prosecutors said. “The refugee status determination process – which currently includes stages of non-approval, administrative review, and administrative lawsuits – needs to take place more quickly,” the official said. By Lee Jeong-ha, Incheon correspondent Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
