INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A South Korean court on Tuesday granted two Russian asylum seekers who have been stranded at Incheon airport for months the right to apply
for refugee status, allowing them to enter the country.The Incheon District Court rejected one other Russian national's plea, without
detailing the reasons for their decision.The three men, whose lawyer requested they not be named out of concern for the safety of their
applications at the airport.Seeking to avoid enlistment does not qualify as a valid reason for receiving refugee status in South Korea,
where all able-bodied men must serve 18 months of compulsory military service.The rejection prompted the three men to bring the case to
court, while they remained stranded in transit areas at the airport for months."We welcome the court's decision on the two but it is
to avoid killing innocent people and getting themselves killed in a war initiated by their home country
It took them four months just to win the right to apply for refugee status," he said.The two will end their months-long airport stay and be
settled in South Korea while undergoing the asylum recognition process, which could take years.The third Russian has the right to appeal,
but will have to remain at the airport in the interim.There are two more Russians trapped at the airport who have also been denied the right
typically accepts just a handful of asylum seekers each year.
