More than 550 Yemeni asylum seekers are on South Korea’s Jeju island, and local residents have mixed feelings.
Jeju, South Korea — More than 550 Yemeni nationals have arrived on South Korea’s Jeju Island since April seeking asylum and refugee status.
Unlike mainland South Korea, Jeju offered visa-free arrival for various nationalities, including Yemenis, to boost tourism .
But the arrival of Yemenis, mostly from Malaysia — to which they fled from war-torn Yemen — sparked an online outcry and protests on the island, as well as the capital, Seoul.
The refugees are barred from leaving Jeju and entering mainland South Korea and are only permitted to work on farms, the sea or restaurants, often doing long hours of manual labour. Some complain of not being paid after working for more than a month.
More than 700,000 South Koreans filed an online petition urging the government to stop its visa-free policy for Yemen.
Protesters demanded the government to refuse asylum and deport the Yemenis.
A recent survey of more than 500 Jeju residents revealed almost 90 percent felt insecure about going outside since the arrival of the Yemenis.
Al Jazeera spoke to Jeju residents to see how they felt about the asylum seekers and what the Korean government’s next steps should be. Ko Minja, 59, restaurant owner
People around me are sceptical about the visa-free policy. I think the government should accept refugees based on their nationalities and avoid people from countries that have terrorism issues. The fact that Jeju accepted these people is causing fear and anxiety among the residents.
The Yemenis are scary. They will rape our women, take our jobs and take over the country.
I’m scared of going to the areas where they are living. They are known for reckless behaviour. If I go to places where they are based, I’m very scared. Employers are reluctant to hire them because they are scared, too.
Lots of people are telling me that this visa-free policy is a problem and might cause terrorism problems for Jeju island in the future.
(Minja has never met a Yemeni or been to the areas they are living in. She told Al Jazeera she was basing her comments on what others had told her).
