At the end of March, a big fire broke in Yangyang-si Gangwon-do, causing one casualty. An immigrant worker rescued more than 10 people, but this hero is going to get deported due to his social status.
An illegal immigrant hero
On March 23, deep in the night, a fire started in an apartment. A man witnessed the scene, cried fire to let people evacuate from the scene. Finding out that there is a person who didn't make it out, he went in through the gas pipe and took the lady to a safe place.
He got 2-3 degree burns on his back, neck, ears, and hands himself. However, when the policeman and fireman arrived, he hid himself. His name was Yuldashev Ali Abal, and he was an illegal immigrant.
Yuldashev Ali Abal（Source：Kyunghyang News）
Abal chose to run away from the site after the police have arrived, fearing that he might be sent back to his home country. However, thanks to Abal's courageous act, more than twelve people saved their lives.
Abal visited the hospital for treatments and voluntarily reported that he had been illegally staying in Korea. He was scheduled to be repatriated on May 1, but his neighbours raised ￦7,000,000 for his treatment and requested the government to reconsider his repatriation.
Source：NEWS1
The Ministry of Justice has decided to issue a new visa until Abal could recover.
Touched by this story, people issued a petition to the Blue House, requesting to issue permanent residency rights to Abal. The petition got more than 26,000 participation, and it's getting attention from the media and other people.
It has also started a debate on whether an act to save people can justify their illegal stay. Should permanent stay in Korea be allowed to those people for a good deed?
In 2017, a similar case happened in Gyeongsang-do. An illegal migrant worker saw a fire break and fiercely jumped into the fire to rescue an old lady.
2017's hero
He was seriously injured with burns on his face and lungs. When they found out that he was an illegal immigrant, the Ministry of Health and Welfare designated him as a casualty and granted him a visa for his treatments.
In December 2018, the Ministry of Justice granted him a permanent residency.
Some people point out that granting a permanent stay, because of "grave injury" or "right deed" is not the best way to deal with the problem. Their acts are truly heroic, and there's no doubt that they deserve their stay in Korea. However, there are still many illegal immigrants suffering from ill conditions without any hope of getting better.
The vice president of Migrants' Trade Union commented: "The government is well aware of these immigrant problems, but ignores it. Although it is illegal, it helps to sustain the economy, and they act like nothing has happened until something goes wrong."
Should we expect all illegal immigrants to risk their lives to stay in Korea, or should something change fundamentally?
