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Korea has granted refugee status to 1,544 asylum-seekers since the system's introduction nearly 30 years ago, officials said Monday, translating into an acceptance rate of just 2.7 percent.

Between 1994 and 2024, 122,095 people applied for asylum in the country, with approximately 57,090 completing their cases through ministry reviews or litigation, according to the Ministry of Justice.

This figure is far lower than the average of more than 20 percent among member states of the OECD.

According to the ministry, the number of asylum-seekers surged in recent years. Only 5,069 people applied for asylum between 1994 and 2012. However, after the revision of the Refugee Act came into force in 2013 to strengthen the rights of those seeking asylum, the number surged to 18,837 in 2023 alone.

The Kremlin's war in Ukraine has been one of the major contributing factors to the increase. In 2021, the number of Russian asylum-seekers stood at only 45. It soared to 1,038 the next year following Russia's invasion, to 5,750 in 2023 and to 4,546 in 2024.

According to officials, Russians now account for 15 percent of all those who have applied for asylum in Korea, followed by Kazakhstan (10.7 percent), China (9.1 percent), Pakistan (6.7 percent) and India (6.4 percent).

Of those granted refugee status, Myanmar nationals account for 474, followed by Ethiopians (161), Egyptians (154), Bangladeshis (124) and Pakistanis (109).

“The refugee acceptance rate in each state is affected by many factors such as geographical, cultural and historical reasons,” the ministry said in a report, adding that Korea has much fewer asylum-seekers from Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan and Ukraine compared with the countries in Europe.

“Korea has proactively accepted many asylum-seekers who came from Myanmar, Burundi, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iran, among other countries, who would need protection (as refugees),” it added.

Political persecution was picked by most (24,513) as the reason for seeking asylum, followed by religious reasons (23,480).

On average, it takes 13.4 months for an asylum-seeker to complete the ministry's review for his or her refugee status; 18.5 percent of all cases take more than two years. Many of those rejected by the ministry later bring their cases to court, which could take years to finish.

For people who are through such legal proceedings, the ministry said it can give them a permit to stay after review. A total of 2,696 people have been given the permit to stay here. Syrians account for 1,271, followed by Yemenis (802) and Haitians (117).

“By providing accurate refugee statistics to the public and making refugee information more accessible, we aim to help enhance trust in the government's refugee policy while actively protecting refugees in need of protection through more rigorous screening,” acting Justice Minister Kim Seok-woo said.