About UNHCR in Korea
UNHCR’s role in Korea focuses on advocacy to enhance the asylum system in Korea in line with international standards and to expand support for protection of forcibly displaced and stateless people. The advocacy efforts include policy and legal advice to the Government, capacity building support for the government refugee status determination (RSD), awareness-raising on refugee matters in cooperation with the Government, civil society and other stakeholders.
In Korea:
UNHCR does NOT process nor examine asylum applications,
UNHCR does NOT register refugees or asylum-seekers,
UNHCR does NOT issue refugee documents,
UNHCR does NOT provide direct financial, material, or legal assistance.
UNHCR does NOT assist in resettlement from Korea to other countries.
The Republic of Korea is a State party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugee and the Korean government has the responsibility to process asylum claims and to provide protection to those who are seeking asylum in Korea. Therefore, individuals applying for asylum in Korea are subject to the Korean national laws and domestic asylum procedures that are in place.
UNHCR Korea provides email counselling for asylum-seekers, humanitarian status holders and recognised refugees. If you still need help and you have not found the information you need on this website, please send us an email with your specific queries.
Please note that:
- In-person and phone counselling is currently NOT available.
- If there is an answer to your query on the UNHCR Help Korea website, UNHCR may refer you to that section. For general information on asylum procedures and available help from other NGOs in Korea, please refer to information on this website.
- If you are not in Korea or if your query is not about procedures and services in Korea, we will not be able to respond to your query. Please visit our UNHCR global directory or UNHCR Help Global to contact the UNHCR office in your current country of residence/asylum.