Russian pair fleeing draft can apply for refugee status after months stranded at South Korea airport

Two Russians fleeing their country’s military draft to fight in Ukraine were granted the right to apply for refugee status in South Korea on February 14, 2023. The pair were among five trapped at Incheon Airport since October 2022, after the country’s justice ministry rejected their refugee applications, prompting the men to bring their cases to court. The pair will be settled in South Korea while undergoing the asylum recognition process, which could take years. The courts however rejected one other case, for reasons not immediately made clear. They will rule on the other two cases in late February.