Seoul rejects refugee claims by Chinese N. Korean defectors

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An activist group says South Korea has rejected refugee status for four ethnic Chinese people who have been “stateless” since they fled North Korea years ago. Unlike ethnic Chinese, North Korean defectors get citizenship and economic assistance in South Korea. The four Chinese North Koreans applied for refugee status in 2019 in hopes of receiving better treatment in South Korea. An activist who supports the group said the Justice Ministry notified the four last week it had rejected their claims. The ministry said Wednesday it won’t disclose the results of its review of individual refugee applications for privacy reasons.