The United Nations High Commission for Refugees will likely open a Seoul branch office very soon.

A Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday the government recently agreed to the establishment of the U.N. agency's office in Seoul, and informed the agency of Seoul's decision last month.

The Seoul office will serve as a constant consultation window between the government and domestic civic groups on international refugee issues. The office will also handle matters related to North Korean defectors.

In 1992, South Korea joined the U.N. humanitarian agency founded under the 1951 international refugees pact.

So far, the agency's Tokyo branch office has been in charge of Korean affairs in cooperation with its one-person Seoul liaison office.