Evacuated Afghans get jobs, leave shelter

Afghan evacuees in Korea arrive in Dong District, Ulsan, on Monday. [NEWS1]

Nearly half of the Afghan evacuees in Korea have been employed by a subcontractor of Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, the Ministry of Justice said Monday.

“A total of 157 Afghan evacuees in Korea, from 29 households, have been employed by a subcontractor of Hyundai Heavy Industries,” the ministry said in a statement. “We believe this will be a good opportunity for both the evacuees to find a stable job and the shipbuilding industry to find good workers.”

The 157 evacuees, which is around 40 percent of the Afghan citizens airlifted out of Kabul last year, moved out of their temporary shelter in Yeosu, South Jeolla, on Monday.

Originally, the Korean government evacuated 391 Afghans out of Kabul after the city fell to Taliban forces last August. The Afghans worked for Korea's embassy in Kabul or on Korean aid projects and include medical professionals, IT experts and interpreters. They did not enter Korea as refugees but as "special contributors" and were issued long-term residence visas after relevant laws were amended.

Of these, one family of six left for the United States on Dec. 15.

Four more were added to the group as four babies were born to the Afghan families in Korea, bringing the total to 389.

They lived in a government facility in Jincheon County, North Chungcheong, through October, before moving to another facility in Yeosu.

The 157 who left Yeosu on Monday were not the first to leave and resettle elsewhere.

On Jan. 7, seven Afghan families, altogether 20 people, left the shelter to settle down in Incheon and other cities.

Many of these families were hired by vehicle parts producers in Incheon, according to the Justice Ministry.

Since then, 172 more left the shelter to settle down in Incheon, Ulsan and Gimpo, according to the ministry.

The remaining 40 in the shelter are scheduled to move on Wednesday, the ministry said.

“We’re grateful to the Korean government and the public for their support and care,” said an Afghan citizen leaving the shelter on Monday.

Their names were withheld from the press for personal security reasons.

The Afghan citizens have been taking government-run educational programs on Korean laws, language and culture at the facilities in Jincheon and Yeosu.

“I am especially grateful to the community in Ulsan for accommodating Afghans who have successfully completed the Korean society adaptation programs,” said Justice Minister Park Beom-kye, who visited the facility in Yeosu on Monday.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]