The number of lawsuits filed by foreigners seeking refugee status in South Korea has jumped ten-fold compared to last year.

The Seoul Administrative Court said Wednesday that a total of 99 such cases were reported as of the end of August, ten times more than in the same month last year.

There was one such lawsuit filed in 2004, seven in 2005, 21 in 2006, 22 in 2007 and 15 in 2008.

The sudden increase in the figure apparently comes as South Korea’s status in the international community has risen and difficulties in handling refugees have been resolved following the establishment of related agencies and reinforced staff.

After joining the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1992, South Korea first granted refugee status to an Ethiopian in 2001.

As of the end of September, the government had granted refugee status to 145 people out of some 24-hundred applicants.

[Photo : ]