Seventeen Minors Held in South Korea’s Immigration Detention Facilities
Lawmaker-provided data showed 17 foreign nationals under 18 were held in immigration detention centers as of August, renewing scrutiny of protections for children awaiting deportation.
Seventeen foreign nationals under the age of 18 were being held in South Korean immigration detention facilities as of August, according to data disclosed by the office of Rep. Park Eun-jung of the Rebuilding Korea Party. The figures have renewed concerns over whether the country’s detention system adequately protects children’s health, education and basic rights.
Eight of the minors were held at the Foreigners’ Protection Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, while nine were at a center in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Such facilities accommodate foreign nationals without valid immigration status while they await deportation.
Separate figures released by Save the Children showed that 84 people under 18 were detained at immigration facilities across South Korea between 2022 and July 2026. Seventy-nine of them were unaccompanied by relatives or guardians. Some minors remained in detention for as long as 197 days, highlighting concerns about prolonged stays in environments designed primarily for adults.
The issue has drawn repeated scrutiny from international and domestic rights bodies. United Nations committees focused on racial discrimination and children’s rights have recommended revisions to South Korea’s Immigration Act to end child detention. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea issued a similar recommendation in 2024.
Despite those calls, proposed legislative changes have not advanced. Bills introduced last year sought to revise rules that currently do not distinguish between minors and adults in immigration detention, but the measures have stalled.
Lee Sang-hyun, a lawyer with the public-interest organization Doroo, said the delay leaves children exposed to detention conditions despite their need for special care in health and education. He said education may have a legal basis but is rarely delivered effectively in practice. Minors are also not meaningfully separated from adults in their daily routines, he said.
Lee called on authorities to recognize a formal responsibility to protect detained children and establish standards reflecting their particular vulnerability. The figures place particular attention on unaccompanied children, who accounted for 79 of the 84 minors detained during the longer reporting period. The latest data are likely to sharpen debate over alternatives to detention and whether current immigration procedures meet South Korea’s child-protection obligations.