{"id":2199104,"date":"2022-10-06T11:13:44","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T11:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2199104"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:11:29","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:11:29","slug":"how-russias-brain-drain-could-be-south-koreas-gain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/10\/how-russias-brain-drain-could-be-south-koreas-gain\/","title":{"rendered":"How Russia\u2019s brain drain could be South Korea\u2019s gain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hundreds of thousands of Russians have <\/span>fled<\/span><\/a> the country to escape sanctions pressures, a deteriorating economy and the risk they might be <\/span>drafted<\/span><\/a> to the front lines of Vladimir Putin\u2019s war against Ukraine. As with the rest of the world, South Korea faces the question of whether or not to accept them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of these escapees have gone to nearby countries like <\/span>Georgia, Kazakhstan<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Kyrgyzstan<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>France and Germany<\/span><\/a> have also indicated that they will accept Russians fleeing the draft, and there\u2019s an <\/span>argument<\/span><\/a> that international law requires states to offer protection to those who oppose conscription.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, every Russian taken in as a refugee could be seen as one less soldier in Putin\u2019s invasion force. But another argument is that draft dodgers might actually be <\/span>\u201clittle green men\u201d<\/span><\/a> \u2014 referring to Russian soldiers that annexed Crimea in 2014 while wearing greenish camouflage but no official army insignia \u2014 sent by Putin to spark havoc in the outside world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Others argue<\/span><\/a> that if Russians really oppose the war they should stay and bring down Putin instead of packing up for somewhere else.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Countries around the world have different opinions on Russian draft dodgers | Image: President of Russia<\/a> (Nov. 3, 2021)<\/p><\/div>\n

For its part, like many countries, South Korea opened its doors to Ukrainians \u2014 albeit under <\/span>certain conditions<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

When asked by <\/span>Korea Pro <\/span><\/i>for its position on accepting Russian draft dodgers, South Korea\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied that it\u2019s \u201cdifficult to comment on hypothetical situations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While it doesn\u2019t seem that Seoul is about to make any big moves soon, it could actually <\/span>stand to gain<\/span><\/a> from Russia\u2019s misfortune. Many fleeing Russia right now are <\/span>highly educated young professionals<\/span><\/a>, exactly the kind of immigrants that the Yoon Suk-yeol administration says it <\/span>wants to attract<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s low birth rate means it faces a <\/span>demographic crisis<\/span><\/a>, but at the same time, it\u2019s reluctant to receive immigrants unless they\u2019re highly skilled. The issue is that highly skilled foreigners \u2014 including highly skilled Koreans themselves \u2014 <\/span>often choose to go elsewhere<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While other countries deliberate their position, South Korea could move to snap up this talent.<\/span><\/p>\n

FIGHTING PUBLIC SENTIMENT<\/b><\/p>\n

Whatever Seoul\u2019s thoughts about the war in Ukraine and Russians fleeing conscription, South Korea is much less likely to welcome large numbers of Russians on purely humanitarian grounds because, generally speaking, there\u2019s <\/span>a lot of opposition<\/span><\/a> to refugees.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, some South Koreans protested after hundreds of Yemenis reached Jeju island, claiming without evidence they were \u201c<\/span>fake refugees<\/span><\/a>.\u201d In February this year, there were protests over 25 Afghani refugee children <\/span>attending an elementary school<\/span><\/a> in Ulsan.<\/span><\/p>\n

But while these protests may have been influenced by Islamophobia, <\/span>data<\/span><\/a> suggests that many South Koreans just don\u2019t want outsiders moving permanently to the country, even ethnic Koreans who grew up elsewhere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Offering protection to Russian draft dodgers could also reignite debate over South Korea\u2019s own <\/span>unpopular mandatory military service<\/span><\/a>. Some might ask why they should help people from a country that invaded its neighbor while they\u2019re still forced to serve for around two years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moscow could even respond by offering asylum to South Koreans that don\u2019t want to serve in the ROK army. However, for most South Koreans, a life in internationally isolated Russia over two-or-so years in the military probably won\u2019t be a particularly attractive trade-off.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Offering refuge to Russian draft dodgers could fuel resentment over South Korea\u2019s own mandatory military service | Image: President of Russia<\/a> (May 9, 2022)<\/p><\/div>\n

South Korea might also be wary of accepting Russian draft dodgers because it could harm relations with Moscow.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the invasion of Ukraine, Seoul has <\/span>followed<\/span><\/a> the U.S. and Europe\u2019s sanctions on Russia and supplied millions in humanitarian aid. But it has <\/span>refused<\/span><\/a> to go further by sending Kyiv the weapons it\u2019s asked for.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Korea has cited the impact on its own military preparedness. But the country\u2019s arms manufacturing capabilities have exploded in <\/span>recent years<\/span><\/a>, suggesting that it could get ahold of more weapons if necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nevertheless, since invading Ukraine, Russia has designated South Korea as an <\/span>\u201cunfriendly\u201d state<\/span><\/a>; blocked efforts at the U.N. to <\/span>strengthen sanctions<\/span><\/a> on North Korea as it launches missiles and prepares for a seventh nuclear test; reportedly <\/span>bought ammunition<\/span><\/a> from the DPRK, which would break U.N. sanctions that Moscow itself originally agreed to; and continues to <\/span>violate<\/span><\/a> the ROK\u2019s air defense zone from time to time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, South Korea\u2019s once-growing trade with Russia has <\/span>plummeted<\/span><\/a> in recent months amid international efforts to isolate Moscow.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bearing in mind how poor relations between the two countries already are, it\u2019s unclear what more Russia might do to try and punish South Korea. And that seems like enough to keep Seoul from rocking the boat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Russia has strengthened relations with North Korea since invading Ukraine<\/span><\/i> | Image: President of Russia<\/a> (April 25, 2019)<\/p><\/div>\n

Even if the Yoon administration decides not to accept draft dodgers as refugees, the impact of Putin\u2019s mobilization order is set to hit Russians already in South Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n

If a Russian national in South Korea is unable to extend their visa for whatever reason, they might choose to live under the radar over returning to Russia out of fear of being called to fight in Ukraine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Around <\/span>20,000 Russians<\/span><\/a> resided in South Korea last year, representing the largest group of Europeans in the country. Over 18,000 were men, and around 5,000 of them were between 20 and 30 years old, making them more likely to be called up to the front lines.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to <\/span>South Korean media<\/span><\/a>, Russians working in construction and heavy industries have stopped applying for jobs, possibly to stay low. Local media also <\/span>quoted<\/span><\/a> a university administrator in Seoul, who said that Russian students might \u201cdisappear to avoid being dragged to war,\u201d just like Chinese students who didn\u2019t want to go back to China after the outbreak of COVID-19 would \u201cdisappear suddenly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Putin gave his partial mobilization order at the end of September, so the majority of Russians likely still have a bit of time before their current visas expire. But unless South Korea addresses this now, Russians trying to claim asylum status or overstaying their visas could become an issue over the coming months.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Arius Derr<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Defense & Security<\/span><\/a>Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hundreds of thousands of Russians have fled the country to escape sanctions pressures, a deteriorating economy and the risk they might be drafted to the front lines of Vladimir Putin\u2019s war against Ukraine. As with the rest of the world, South Korea faces the question of whether or not to accept them. Most of these […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5769,"featured_media":2199105,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[26,28],"yoast_head":"\nHow Russia\u2019s brain drain could be South Korea\u2019s gain - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/10\/how-russias-brain-drain-could-be-south-koreas-gain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Russia\u2019s brain drain could be South Korea\u2019s gain - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hundreds of thousands of Russians have fled the country to escape sanctions pressures, a deteriorating economy and the risk they might be drafted to the front lines of Vladimir Putin\u2019s war against Ukraine. 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