The Justice Ministry is seeking to provide interpretation services when receiving applications for refugee status as part of efforts to improve the treatment of refugees. 

The ministry on Monday issued an advance notice of revisions to the Refugee Act that aims to provide such improved treatment. The advance notice will be in place through February 6. 

The revisions also seek to provide counsel to foreigners recognized as refugees and foreigners granted humanitarian sojourn to aid them in adjusting to Korean society and secure employment. 

In addition, the revisions aim to block the misuse of the nation’s refugee system as well as slap stronger punishment on brokers who help foreigners file fraudulent refugee applications. 

The ministry said it created the latest revisions to make up for flaws detected in implementing the Refugee Act. It noted that since the law was put into effect in 2013, the number of foreigners applying for refugee status has grown sharply every year. Last year, some 15-thousand foreigners were estimated to have applied for refugee status.