Seoul, South Korea - A Seoul court ruled in favor of two Chinese followers of the spiritual movement Falun Gong, paving the way for them to receive refugee status in South Korea, a court official said Friday.
The Seoul Administrative Court ruling Thursday rejected a Justice Ministry decision denying recognition of the plaintiffs as
refugees, according to a copy of the ruling and court spokesman Kim Jung-wook.
The plaintiffs _ a man and woman whose identities were withheld _ filed a lawsuit in 2006, seeking to reverse the ministry's decision on grounds that they would face persecution in China because of their Falun Gong-related activities and their opposition to the Chinese Communist Party.
The two, who are members of China's ethnic Korean minority, would be the first Falun Gong followers to be granted refugee status in South Korea if the ruling is not appealed.
A Justice Ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing office policy, said the ministry would decide whether to appeal after reviewing the ruling.
Meanwhile, the court rejected similar suits by 30 other Falun Gong followers, saying their activities in South Korea were believed to be aimed at seeking refugee status.
Falun Gong has attracted millions of followers with a mix of traditional Chinese calisthenics and doctrines drawn from Buddhism, Taoism and the ideas of its founder, Li Hongzhi. China banned it as a threat to public safety and communist rule, calling it an «evil cult.