Nearly 20 minors held in Korea’s immigration detention facilities: lawmaker

Seventeen foreign nationals under the age of 18 were being held in immigration detention facilities in Korea as of August, raising concerns over their health and rights, according to a lawmaker’s office.

According to the office of Rep. Park Eun-jung of the Rebuilding Korea Party, eight foreign nationals under the age of 18 were being held at the Foreigners’ Protection Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, while another nine were being held at a center in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.

The facilities hold foreign nationals who lack valid immigration status in Korea pending deportation.

But experts have warned that detention could have a negative impact on children’s mental health, citing international research.

According to a separate statement by Save the Children, 84 people under the age of 18 were detained at immigration detention facilities across Korea between 2022 and July this year. Of them, 79 were unaccompanied by family members or guardians.

In some cases, minors were detained for as long as 197 days.

The issue has prompted multiple recommendations from UN bodies, including the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Committee on the Rights of the Child, calling for revisions to the Immigration Act to end the detention of children. Korea’s National Human Rights Commission also issued a similar recommendation in 2024.

However, legislative efforts to revise current rules, which do not distinguish between minors and adults in immigration detention, have stalled since multiple bills were proposed last year.

Lee Sang-hyun, a lawyer with public interest law organization Doroo, said the prolonged legislative delay continues to leave minors at risk, as they remain subject to the same detention environment despite requiring special care in areas including health and education.

“While there is a legal basis for providing education, it is hardly implemented in practice,” Lee said in a phone interview with The Korea Herald. “They are not effectively separated from adults in their daily lives and are forced to follow the same detention routine.”

Lee called for authorities to formally recognize their responsibility to protect detained children and for the passage of legislation establishing special standards based on children’s vulnerability.