Unlike mainland South Korea, Jeju offered visa-free arrival for various nationalities, including Yemenis, to boost tourism.
But the arrival of Yemenis, mostly from Malaysia - to which they fled from war-torn Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...- sparked an online outcry and protests on the island, as well as the capital, Seoul.
The refugees are barred from leaving Jeju and entering mainland South Korea and are only permitted to work on farms, the sea or restaurants, often doing long hours of manual labour. Some complain of not being paid after working for more than a month.
More than 700,000 South Koreans filed an online petition urging the government to stop its visa-free policy for Yemen.
Protesters demanded the government to refuse asylum and deport the Yemenis.
A recent survey of more than 500 Jeju residents revealed almost 90 percent felt insecure about going outside since the arrival of the Yemenis.