South Korea's justice ministry said that a record sixteen-thousand applicants filed for refugee status in 2018, a sixty-three percent on-year jump.<br />That's the highest number since the ministry began collecting relevant data in 1994.<br />Kazakhstani nationals made up the largest number of applicants, followed by Russia and Malaysia.<br />But, only six-hundred-fifty-eight applicants were either granted asylum or permission to stay in the country on humanitarian grounds.<br />The ministry says the number of asylum seekers began to increase dramatically in 2013 after South Korea enacted a new refugee law.<br />
