B. Main Topics 1) Russia-Ukraine War and the Issues of Accepting and Protecting the War Refugees A) Russia-Ukraine War, Status of the Displaced People Heading to Korea Russia declared a “special military operation” against eastern Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and the Russia-Ukraine war continued until the end of 2022. According to UNICEF, the war resulted in more than 7.83 million Ukrainian refugees in 2022 alone.210) Ukrainian refugees, more than 90% of whom are children and women, have moved across Europe, including Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, and the EU issued a “temporary protection order” in Mar. 2022, allowing Ukrainian refugees to stay in EU member states for up to three years. The Korean government took measures including temporarily changing the status of sojourn for 3,800 Ukrainians who were staying in Korea,211) expansion of the range of family invitations for Koreans (Russian Koreans)212) and relatives in Korea, and simplification of visa issuance, etc.,213) but there is almost no Ukrainians who entered the country as refugees.214) In response, the Korean Bar Association urged the government to actively accept Ukrainian refugees through a statement on Mar. 22,215) and the chairperson of the NHRCK also released a statement on Mar. 7 urging the Korean government, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, to actively participate in international measures to protect the human rights of Ukrainian refugees and civilian victims and provide humanitarian assistance.216) 210) See Webpage of the Korean Committee for UNICEF, Status of Ukraine Relief Efforts (As of Dec. 13, 2022). 211) MOJ Press Release, Feb. 28, 2022. 212) There is no accurately estimated data, but according to the Ansan Koryoin Cultural Center, the number of Ukrainian refugees who moved to Korea after the Russia-Ukraine War is estimated to be 2,500, and they are living in Ansan and Anseong, Gyeonggi-do. 213) Kyunghyang Shinmun, MOJ expanded the family invited visa to Koreans living in Ukraine...Allowing long-term residence, Mar. 29, 2022. 214) Herald Business, One month since the invasion by Russia ... No Ukrainian refugee applicants in Korea.. Why?, Mar. 24, 2022; SBS, [Coverage] 3.55 mil. Ukrainian refugees ... Can we accept them?, Mar. 23, 2022, etc. 215) Korean Bar Association Press Release, Mar. 22, 2022. 216) Statement by the Chairperson of the NHRCK, Mar. 7, 2022. 89