SEOUL, Nov. 5 (UPI) — Angelina Jolie called for protection for Yemeni refugees and international efforts to bring an end to the long-running conflict in Yemen during her visit to Seoul as a special envoy for the U.N. Refugee Agency.
“As an international community, we have been shamefully slow to act to end the crisis in Yemen. We have watched the situation deteriorate to the point that Yemen is now on the brink of man-made famine and facing the worst cholera epidemic in the world in decades,” she said, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The United Nations estimates that some 10,000 people have been killed, and more than 3 million people have been displaced in a four-year-old civil war between Houthi rebels backed by Iran and the Saudi Arabia-backed government.
She also highlighted South Korea’s effort to provide protection for Yemeni refugees in her meeting with South Korean justice minister Park Sang-ki on Sunday.
In October, the South Korean government allowed 339 Yemeni asylum seekers, among 484, to stay in the country for one year on a humanitarian visa, according to the justice ministry.
Hundreds of Yemenis arrived at South Korea’s resort island of Jeju, fleeing the ongoing civil war in Yemen.
Jolie also stressed the importance of delivering right information on refugee protection when xenophobia, discrimination, and extreme nationalism are prevalent in many parts of the world, at a meeting with South Korean actor and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Jung Woo-sung on Saturday.
Jung, who has been outspoken on the issue of refugees, expressed concerns on anti-refugee sentiment in the country. He has been attacked with hate speech online for his support for refugee protection in South Korea.
Jolie said she is proud of his role as an advocate for refugee protection and in the international effort to raise awareness on humanitarian crisis and refugee issues.
