Fleeing war, one Russian hopes Korea will take him in

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Fleeing war, one Russian hopes Korea will take him in

Published: 14 Nov. 2022, 18:15 Updated: 14 Nov. 2022, 22:47

A photo of the notice on non-referral of refugee status application Ivanov (pseudonym) received after an interview with the immigration authorities [NANCEN]

Ivanov, a Russian in his 30s, flew into Korea in mid-September to seek asylum and avoid conscription into Russia's armed invasion of Ukraine.

“[Russia's attack on Ukraine] cannot be justified under international law,” Ivanov said in an exclusive e-mail interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, which agreed to use a pseudonym to identify him. “It is a war that is unacceptable.”

He described his experience as “terrible” after he took to the streets with his friends holding anti-war rallies following the outbreak of the war.

According to the Ministry of Justice, 537 Russians entered Korea from March to September and applied for refugee status. The Russia-Ukraine war began last Feb. 24.

Until last year, there were fewer than 100 Russians in Korea claiming refugee status. In fact, the number of refugee applicants from Russia were so few that they were classified as “others” in statistics compiled by the Justice Ministry. By nationality, Chinese people submitted the most applications, 301, followed by Bangladeshis with 233, Nigerians with 164, Indians with 148, and Pakistanis with 131.

Ivanov's hometown is Buryatia, east of Lake Baikal in Siberia and 30 percent of Buryatia's 980,000 population are of Mongolian descent.

To the south of Buryatia is Mongolia and it is adjacent to Central Asia, where many Koryoin people — ethnic Koreans living in the post-Soviet states — reside. Ivanov grew up with Koryoin friends, who are heavily influenced by Korean traditional culture.

Ivanov was looking for a job after graduating from college.

As the war dragged on, sporadic protests took place all over Russia.

Rumors of a draft order started circulating over the summer.

The BBC’s Russian service examined reports of more than 6,000 confirmed battlefield losses and found that by the beginning of September, troops from ethnic minorities including from Buryatia had lost 600 soldiers, while only 15 people killed were from the Moscow region.

“I thought I would be dragged to the battlefield and die, so I eventually chose to leave the country,” Ivanov said.

“There were many deaths among the Buryats from the war,” he said. “Tensions rose as some Russian media outlets were shut down, and more and more of those who oppose the Kremlin’s policies started to leave the country.”

Ivanov fled in early September.

First, he flew to Mongolia, then boarded a flight to Korea.

"It was largely because of a Koryoin friend who lives in Korea," he said.

But the entry barrier was high.

Ivanov applied for refugee status, but the Ministry of Justice's immigration office at Incheon International Airport refused, saying the request was made without a legitimate cause. He was trapped at the airport.

In the meantime, the government’s draft notice arrived in Ivanov's home in Russia after Putin called up 300,000 reservists to support the military campaign in Ukraine on Sept. 21.

With the help of the refugee rights center Nancen, Ivanov filed a lawsuit on Sept. 29 demanding the withdrawal of the rejection of his refugee status request.

Immigration authorities eventually reversed their decision and decided to refer Ivanov to refugee screening on Oct. 12. Finally being able to leave Incheon International Airport, Ivanov is staying at his Koryoin friend's house.

It is unclear whether Ivanov will be recognized as a refugee. Despite the recent surge in applications, no Russians have been recognized as refugees since the war began.

“Most of the refugee requests made this year are still under review,” a Justice Ministry ministry official said.

Data from the Justice Ministry obtained by the refugee rights center showed it took an average of 23.9 months, or almost two years, for refugee applicants to receive the first screening decision. The average screening period has been prolonged due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the ministry.

Ivanov repeatedly told the refugee rights center that he didn’t flee because he was afraid of the war, stressing that he had served in the military over a year.

Instead, he said, “I don't want to die on the land of another country, nor do I want a war for the good of a government that I don't support.”

“Russia is full of corruption and undemocratic conditions," Ivanov said. "The attention of the international community is our only hope."

BY SHIM SEOK-YONG,SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]