One of the journalists of the Catholic Times Weekly gives the reader a summary of the symposium titled Who are Refugees? hosted by committees under the Korean Bishops.
A distinctive feature of this symposium is that group sharing was held under the name of 'Normal Discussion'. After each presentation, each group discussed the topic and on the last day, each other's opinions were collected. This was not to draw conclusions but to share ideas freely according to synodalitas that we have been working with during these past two years.
According to data from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees between 2010 and 2020, Korea's refugee acceptance rate was 1.3 percent, the second-lowest among G20 countries.
In a keynote speech, the bishop chairman of the Ministry of Domestic Migration, said: "The fundamental reason for choosing 'Who are refugees' as the theme for symposium is that the church, society, and the state do not know what to do or how to deal with refugees."
The participants cited 'vague fear' as the main reason for rejecting refugees. Will they not threaten my opportunity to make a living? The taxes paid will go to help those who have nothing to do with it. Wouldn’t it make our society more confused than it is?
Of course, some people may have suffered direct harm because of the refugees, but is this not generalizing and making the problems greater than they are? Even in the media, hate-promoting images are often released. Due to this influence, a vague fear of refugees leads to negative public opinion. During the Pohang earthquake four years ago, there was a case where migrants helped out, but no one paid any attention to the help of the refugees.
The vague fear does not apply only to refugees. In the recent Halloween disaster in Itaewon, many good people tried to save even one more person, but it was also confirmed that the person below was shouting at the person who was trying to lift the person to the railing, saying: "It's cramped here, so stop lifting." Some of those responsible for the safety of the people seem to be evading the issue, causing public outrage.
The Bishops' Conference issued a letter of condolence for the Itaewon disaster in Seoul, saying: "We should make efforts to make concern for others a practice of this society and break the ring of injustice and irresponsibility that has become commonplace."
The vague fear went beyond simple irresponsibility and left great pain in our society. It is the result of small exclusions in everyday life. Whatever the reason and wherever the cause is if there are people who are suffering in front of them, shouldn't they reach out their hand first? This is the moment to confirm that vague fear never ends with the virtue needed to live in a healthy and mature society.
