A Seoul court has ruled in favor of an illegal foreign worker who sought compensation from the government for his illness, which he attributed to abuses he had received from his work.

The 54-year-old ethnic Korean from China, identified only by his last name Kim, filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Administration Court seeking compensation for medical treatment from the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation.

Kim collapsed in April 2000 after suffering a stroke that he claimed was caused by work-induced mental stress.

In delivering its ruling, the court said the man had suffered from mental stress caused by months of working overtime, payment delays and not being able to send money to his family in China. His family was reportedly in debt after providing him with money to come to South Korea in search of a job.