Refugees, activists rally against asylum bill over fair review concerns

Refugees and rights activists rallied in the rain outside the National Assembly on Thursday, urging lawmakers to scrap a proposed revision to the Refugee Act that would allow the justice minister to dismiss some asylum applications before they enter the formal review process.

The bill, proposed in March by Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Gi-pyo, would add a new clause to Article 17 of the Refugee Act.

If passed, it would allow the justice minister to reject applications at a preliminary stage