A passenger walks by Jeju International Airport on Jeju Island, Wednesday. Newsis

A Chinese dissident, who recently fled to Korea seeking asylum, failed to obtain refugee status after a local immigration office declined to review his application, citing that he did not meet the standards for asylum seekers.

Yang Liwei, now facing a three-month detention at Jeju International Airport, plans to initiate administrative litigation against Korean immigration authorities.

Rev. Choe Hwang-gyu, founder and pastor of Seoul Chinese Church, said the 56-year-old fled to Jeju Island on April 12 due to political persecution by the Chinese Communist Party in his homeland.

Born in the Chinese province of Henan, Yang was arrested in July 2018 for sedition by a local court, after uploading several online posts on social media criticizing the Chinese government. He was subsequently released from prison in January 2021 after serving a two-year and six-month prison term.

However, upon his arrival on Jeju Island, he was detained by customs officials and has since been held at the airport.

On Tuesday, he submitted a refugee status application to the Jeju Immigration Office, which refused to evaluate it.

Citing Article 5 of the Enforcement of the Refugee Act, the office said, Thursday, "There are substantial grounds to regard the applicant as a danger to the safety and public order of the Republic of Korea."

The office added that Yang fails to meet the criteria outlined in the Refugee Act's definition of an individual in need of asylum.

According to the office's document refusing Yang's application, he encountered no issues obtaining his passport and clearing immigration in China upon departure. Consequently, the immigration office concluded that he was not among China's wanted individuals and there is little possibility of political persecution upon his return home.

However, both Yang and Rev. Choe argue that Chinese dissidents face a substantial threat of death upon return and have urged the Korean government to grant him refugee status.

A refugee applicant detained by immigration authorities, such as Yang, can only be represented by an attorney appointed by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), according to Rev. Choe.