Refugees on Jeju Island

[1][2][3][4][5][6] The number of refugees fleeing the civil war in Yemen and seeking shelter on Jeju Island through its visa-waiver program rapidly increased in the year 2018.

[10] Worries about security increased within the island in response to the spike, with numerous accusations of Yemenis committing crimes adding to the hostile reception of the asylum seekers.

[13] Of the few countries which do not require visas for Yemenis, Malaysia was favored as the initial destination, mostly due to the cultural similarities deriving from sharing a common Islamic religious tradition.

In December 2017, budget airline AirAsia began a direct flight from Malaysia to Jeju, which many point to as a contributing factor for increased asylum seekers.

[15] On June 1, 2018, the Korean Immigration Service excluded Yemen from its list of visa waiver countries and imposed restrictions on Yemeni refugees on Jeju Island that would prevent them from leaving for other parts of South Korea.