Ahmed Lababidi fled his home in the war-ravaged city of Aleppo, Syria, in 2012. The 22 year old then traveled to South Korea with his brother, where they were able to secure visas with the help of a Syrian businessman in Seoul.
Soon after, Lababidi applied for refugee status, but he says Korean immigration officials denied his request.
“I can stay here, but not as a refugee,” he recalls being told.
Lababidi settled on Jeju Island — a honeymoon destination for South Koreans — home. Though, for how much longer is anyone’s guess.
RELATED: A Syrian man takes refuge in a Korean honeymoon resort island
Multimedia journalist Malte E. Kollenberg recently spent some time with Labadidi to find out what his life was like on Jeju Island.
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