South Korean county faces backlash over plan to attract Myanmar refugees amid population crisis

Residents of a small South Korean county are urging local authorities to abandon plans to accept Myanmar refugees, after raising concerns about the potential effects it would have on the community and the welfare of the town’s existing residents.

The announcement to welcome around 40 Myanmar refugees in an effort to address the local demographic crisis had sparked critical reaction to an online bulletin board run by the Yeongyang government, according to Korean media reports.

“The idea that depopulation can be solved by multicultural or refugee immigration policies is absurd. That is wrong,” one user said, as quoted by the Korea Times.

“I hope you come up with a policy to help your own people.”

Some users have requested that the plan be cancelled, expressing concerns that the newcomers would only take advantage of the initiative.