The number of refugees applying for asylum in Korea has broken the 70,000 mark for the first time, according to data released by the Ministry of Justice on Oct. 28. The photo shows a notice posted on the refugee center at a residential neighborhood on Jeju Island. (Yonhap News)

By Kim Young Deok and Yoon Sojung

The number of refugees applying for asylum in Korea has broken the 70,000 mark for the first time.

The number of refugee applications received between 1994 and August this year was 70,254 according to monthly statistical data from the Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of applications have poured in every month for receiving refugee status despite the difficulty of approval.

Between 1994 and 2012, 5,069 people applied for refugee status in Korea. Since the enactment of the Refugee Act in 2013, when the number was 1,574, the figure surged to 9,942 in 2017 and 16,173 in 2018, showing a steady increase for six years in a row. The number declined to 15,452 last year but still surpassed 10,000 for two consecutive years. 

Religion was the most common reason given by applicants (16,785), followed by politics (12,502), membership in a certain social group (7,192) and race (3,897).

By nationality, Russians submitted the most applications last year with 2,830, with 1,046 applying this year from January to August. Kazakhs led this category in 2018 with 2,496 and Chinese in 2017 with 1,413.

A combined 32,097 applicants completed the screening process for refugees. Among them, 3,401 were granted refugee status -- 1,063 who were admitted as refugees and 2,338 who received residence permits for humanitarian reasons.

Such permits are granted when an applicant fails to meet the criteria for refugee status but is allowed to stay in Korea due to the threat of losing their freedom of life or movement because of inhumane treatment in their home countries such as torture.

kyd1991@korea.kr