There have been numerous refugee-related studies in linguistics following a large inflow of refugees to South Korea over the past several years. However, many studies address refugees in terms of Korean language education, and little has been discussed on the actual language use of refugees or linguistic issues they experience in South Korea. Linguistic research regarding refugees must be conducted not only with regard to Korean language education but also in terms of observing and interpreting the actual language use of and social issues experienced by refugees. In this respect, this study notes the issues faced by refugees moving to South Korea without knowledge of the Korean language. Specifically, it addresses communication issues arising within the limited space of the airport entry and departure port. To this end, two Arabic speakers applying for refugee recognition at the airport entry and departure port were interviewed. As such, procedures that must be taken at the entry and departure port between exiting the airplane and entering South Korea were reconstructed from an insider's perspective, and communication issues occurring throughout each procedure were reviewed. Subsequently, suggestions were made to ensure the language human rights of refugees at airports.

HIV/AIDS is an important global issue in human rights and health. The United Nations Refugee Convention clearly addresses to guarantee healthcare rights to refugees at the same level as those provided to citizens. In Korea, the number of refugee applicants has surged since the enactment of the Refugee Act in 2012. Regarding human dignity and human rights, however, there are serious concerns that Korea’s healthcare laws and policies would not fully protect the right of foreigners who are suffering from financial hardship. This paper proposes the ways to improve healthcare equity by comparing the UNAIDS Guidelines to Korean policies on HIV-positive refugee applicants.