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| A Koryoin civic group from post-Soviet states demand ethnic Koreans who fled from Ukraine to Korea be provided shelter at the Seogu District Council in Gwangju, Nov. 14, 2022. Newsis |
By Ko Dong-hwan
Korea's justice ministry has decided to waive the visa application fee to extend the period of stay of Koryoin who fled Ukraine and entered Korea due to the Russian invasion of the country until the war ends.
Koryoin is a term that refers to ethnic Koreans who, by one way or another, came to live in post-Soviet states in the central Asian region. The ministry's moves are the latest Good-Samaritan measure for the refugees on top of a series of previous measures carried out earlier this year.
According to the ministry, some 1,200 Koryoin are expected to benefit from the service.
Under the ministry's previous Koryoin-friendly measures, those who had entered Korea with a travel certificate without a passport could extend their stay in the country. The regulation kicked off on Jan. 30.
Shortly after the war broke out in March last year, the ministry started supporting the Koryoin people of Ukraine by simplifying the visa issuance process, including exempting the submission of some documents to the Korean immigration office.
The following month, the ministry further expanded support to the spouses and underage children of applicants by waiving fees for visa status changes or work permits in Korea.
Koryoin who had arrived in Seoul with a short-term visa valid for 90 days or under were also allowed to extend their stay and find employment in the country. Those collective advantages were granted on April 18.
The ministry's latest move came after Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon returned from his three-nation tour visiting the Netherlands, Germany and France earlier this month.
While in Europe, Han learned about its "advanced" immigration policies and discussed ways to jointly improve bilateral exchanges with each country in the field.
The ministry currently plans to introduce a new immigration agency, upscaling the current Immigration Office under its operation. Han proposed the initiative to President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier this year as one of the ministry's key missions this year.
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