An Uzbek asylum seeker in South Korea was recently deported to his native country for holding a fake passport, officials said Tuesday, a move likely to spark controversy amid Seoul’s protests over China’s similar treatment of North Korean defectors.

The Uzbek national, whose identity was withheld, was sent home from South Korea’s Incheon International Airport two weeks ago, immediately after he was denied refugee status by Seoul’s Immigration Office, according to a source close to the asylum seeker, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Uzbek citizen fled to South Korea in 2008 to escape religious persecution in his home country, but his wife came under the scrutiny of Uzbek authorities because she wore the hijab here, where Muslims are a minority, the source said.

The husband was caught by South Korean authorities in early February and ordered to leave on the grounds that he was carrying a fake passport, but he refused and requested refugee status several days later.

“Even if the request is denied, the applicant should be allowed a 14-day period to raise any objections,” the source said, arguing that the Uzbek citizen was not given such a chance. The source also claimed the deportation is a violation of international treaties and principles governing refugee protection to which South Korea is a party.

Officials at the immigration office dismissed the claims, saying the Uzbek national was caught carrying a passport issued under a false name. They also said he was unable to present evidence of persecution in his native country and could not convince them that he would be punished for his wife’s religion.

The Uzbek constitution guarantees the freedom of religion, they said.

In denying the asylum seeker time to raise objections, the officials noted concerns about a threat to public safety, as stipulated under South Korean immigration laws. They declined to elaborate, citing reasons of national security. 

(Yonhap News)