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By Jung Min-ho
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| Ali, the undocumented hero from Kazakhstan / Yonhap |
According to the Ministry of Justice Thursday, the Korea Immigration Service is completing the paperwork to give the visa for the man, 28, identified only by his given name Ali, whose bravery saved 10 people from a burning apartment at a town in Yangyang County on March 23.
He was scheduled to be deported after his illegal status came to light.
The visa will allow him to continue to receive treatment at a hospital in Seoul.
Ali suffered burns to his back, neck and hands while trying to rescue his neighbors. Unfortunately, a woman on the second floor died after inhaling too much toxic smoke.
The immigration office also said it would consider granting Ali permanent residency. On the Cheong Wa Dae website, a petition calling for the government to offer the permanent right to stay here has gathered more than 22,000 signatures.
In a similar case, the government awarded permanent residency to Katabilla Ketiye Ge-Dara Nimal Siri, a Sri Lankan migrant worker, 38, who saved a woman, 90, from a burning house in North Gyeongsang Province in 2017.
