The Republic of Korea sought to become an "advanced human rights country" by joining the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1992. In addition, a provision for refugee recognition was established in the Immigration Act in 1993, and the refugee policy was implemented in earnest in 1994. However, contrary to the Korean government's expectation, criticism of the refugee policy continued on the inside and outside of the country, with the birth of the first Korean recognized refugee in 2001. Although the Korean government and the National ...