AIRPORT STAY

[Anchor Lead]

Nearly 200,000 people use Incheon International Airport daily to travel overseas. But there is a family of Angolan refugees who have stayed at the airport for more than three months now. Here's their story.

[Pkg]

Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport is used by some 250,000 people daily. This is also where Nkuka Lulendo and his family, who came from Angola, have been living for months now. They came to Korea in search of a safer life. However, the immigration authorities of Incheon International Airport turned down their request to obtain refugee status and took away their passports. The family refused to be repatriated, ending up living in the transit zone of the airport.

[Soundbite] NKUKA LULENDO : "Since we arrived here, we have been eating the same food. As you can see, we have no privacy and have to sleep in cold conditions."

The family has no other choice but to sleep on six sofas put together. The children have figured out ways how to have fun despite various inconveniences. While some people try to help the Lulendos, the majority of passengers give them disapproving looks.

[Soundbite] NKUKA LULENDO : "I once said “Hello” to someone, but the person looked very displeased and told me to get out of here. It's very insulting."

Back in January, the Lulendos filed a suit asking the Korean government to at least give them a chance to apply for refugee status. In an unprecedented move, the whole family was allowed to appear in court. The key issue of the court hearing was whether or not the Lulendos can be recognized as refugees. Although the family insists that they are qualified to seek asylum due to a dangerous situation in their home country, where rape and discrimination are rampant, the airport immigration office is questioning their intentions, saying the Lulendos applied for refugee status belatedly because they failed to get through passport control. Around one hundred people are waiting to be deported at Incheon International Airport. The immigration authorities will decide on April 25 whether or not to give the Lulendos a chance to seek asylum.