Afghan ‘special contributors’ are released from self-quarantine

Three hundred and ninety Afghan ‘special contributors’ who arrived in South Korea last month were released from two weeks of self-quarantine and were transferred to a temporary residential facility at the NHI Innovative Leadership Campus in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province on Friday. The special contributors expressed their gratitude in a joint interview on Monday, saying, “We are deeply grateful for South Koreans who showed kindness to us. We want to have a happy life here with our children.”

“I am used to Korean culture as I have worked a long time with South Koreans. I am thankful for safety here,” said a former employee at a South Korean hospital in Bagram, Afghanistan. “I want to have a happy life here with my children,” said a professor who taught computer-related topics at a South Korean vocational training center in Afghanistan.

The special contributors are allowed to move freely between rooms and floors in the building. They are also given one hour a day for outdoor activities. After finishing foreigner registration and medical exams until September 22, they will receive training to adjust to Korean society, including language lessons.

According to the Ministry of Justice, they will stay together for about five months before being released. “After spending six weeks at the current facility, they will be transferred to another space for communal living,” said an official of the Ministry of Justice. “Our goal is for them to be financially independent.” The ministry decided to grant F-2 visas to the special contributors, which allow working and long-term stay in the country, and began to revise the relevant laws.


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