South Korean progressives on Thursday accused the government of caving into xenophobic sentiment by rejecting a plea for refugee status by hundreds of asylum seekers from war-ravaged Yemen whose arrival on a resort island earlier this year triggered outrage.
Justice Party spokesman Choi Seok said South Korea was neglecting its responsibility as a member of the United Nations and letting public sentiment influence critical decisions on human rights.
"The Yemeni refugees have risked every danger to come to our country, just so that they could survive," Choi said. "It's no different from the people of our own country half a century ago, when they wandered around foreign countries as refugees through war and division. We should no longer ignore the voices of people who seek to live."
South Korea's Justice Ministry on Wednesday said it would not grant refugee status to nearly 400 Yemenis, instead saying it would issue one-year humanitarian stays to 339 of them. The ministry rejected stay permits for 34 asylum seekers, but said they could appeal, and postponed decisions for another 85 applicants, citing the need for further interviews.
The ministry previously granted temporary stays to 23 Yemenis.
The Yemenis arrived on the island of Jeju earlier this year, using an island tourist policy that allows foreigners visa-free entry for up to 30 days. Thrown off by the flood of arrivals, South Korea excluded Yemenis from the no-visa benefits in June and banned the asylum seekers from leaving the island.
Since then, there have been a series of protests in Jeju and in the capital, Seoul, in which demonstrators called for deportation of the asylum seekers, who are Muslims. Protesters accused the Yemenis of being "fake refugees" who would steal jobs and pose a threat to local safety.
Anti-immigrant groups were quick to condemn the decision to grant the Yemenis temporary stays.
"We denounce the Justice Ministry for giving up on the safety of our people, being deceived by the fake refugees and saying they don't pose a terrorist threat," said Lee Hyeon-yeong, who helped organize a rally Thursday in Seoul.
Other demonstrators held signs that read "Don't Be Like Europe" and "This Isn't Hate — We Want Safety."
Though it was the recipient of large-scale international military and humanitarian interventions during the 1950-53 Korean War, South Korea has granted refugee status to only a fraction of asylum seekers since 1994, when it began accepting applications. South Korea's culture greatly values ethnic homogeneity and people often guard fiercely against outsiders.
The Justice Ministry did not give a clear explanation of why the Yemeni applicants failed to meet its standards for refugee status.
An official from the Jeju Provincial Police Agency said Thursday that four of the Yemenis were be investigating on suspicions that they consumed khat, a mild narcotic that is legal in Yemen but not in South Korea. The police official, who didn't want to be named, citing office rules, said that the four Yemenis were among the 34 who were refused temporary stay.
The Yemenis who received the stay permits will have to reapply after their one-year term expires if they want to remain in South Korea. The ministry said it could refuse to renew the permits if the situation in Yemen stabilizes and becomes safe for the asylum seekers to return home.
Those who were granted temporary stays are allowed to leave Jeju for the mainland but must report their whereabouts to the immigration authorities.
The conflict in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, began with in 2014 with the takeover of the capital by Houthis, an Iranian-backed Shiite movement that toppled the internationally recognized government. A Saudi-led coalition launched to fight the Houthis has imposed sea, land, and air embargo while waging a devastating bombing campaign.
The conflict has left more than 10,000 civilians dead, driven millions from their homes and sparked a cholera epidemic. U.N. officials have warned that millions more could very quickly become unable to feed themselves, while the rapid depreciation of Yemen's currency has caused food prices to rise at least 35 percent.
Officials also fear a coalition-led assault on the Houthi-held port of Hodeida could shut it down. Nearly 80 percent of Yemen's imports come through the Red Sea city, including much of its humanitarian aid.
DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.
The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.
“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”
Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.
The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.
Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.
“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”
It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.
“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”
Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.
First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”
Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.
“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”
For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.
“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
