Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea
UNHCR works with the Republic of Korea to strengthen refugee protection at home and expand its global leadership in supporting displaced and stateless people.
Are you a refugee, asylum-seeker or stateless person looking for help? Visit the HELP site to find support and services from UNHCR.
Key statistics
40,311
people were under UNHCR’s mandate in the Republic of Korea in 2024, including refugees and asylum-seekers
35,840
are registered asylum-seekers by the end of 2024, coming mostly from the Russian Federation, Indonesia and Kazakhstan
231
people are stateless in the Republic of Korea, highlighting protection needs for individuals without nationality
The Republic of Korea acceded to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol in 1992 and enacted its first stand-alone Refugee Act in 2013, marking a significant advancement in domestic refugee protection.
Amid shifting demographics and a critical labour shortage, immigration reform gained political momentum. The government introduced unprecedented policies, including the regularization of undocumented children and long-term visas for foreign workers in depopulated regions. UNHCR is actively engaging with policymakers to ensure refugees and asylum-seekers are considered for inclusion in these reforms, particularly through complementary pathways. At the same time, concerns arose with proposed amendments to the Refugee Act expanding grounds for exclusion and deportation. UNHCR is closely monitoring this development and advocating for safeguards to uphold the principle of non-refoulement.
Legislative efforts to implement universal birth registration (UBR) also gained traction, supported by broad societal consensus. UNHCR remains optimistic about its adoption, recognizing its potential to prevent statelessness.
UNHCR maintains close cooperation with the government, judiciary, National Human Rights Commission, NGOs, civil society, and persons of concern to improve protection frameworks and treatment of asylum-seekers and refugees. Internationally, RoK dramatically scaled up its Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2024, contributing USD 66.7 million to UNHCR – a 172% increase. Korea's enhanced support, including a fourfold rise in unearmarked contributions, underscores its ambition to become a top 10 global ODA donor by 2027. Its participation in key UN bodies – UNSC, ECOSOC, and the Human Rights Council – further reflects its growing influence on global refugee issues.
The Republic of Korea as a donor
Find out more about the funds raised by the government and private sector in the Republic of Korea to support UNHCR.
Population and financial overview
Republic of Korea
Use the year selector to access information from previous years.
Populations
Population types
Population types
Note: The "Stateless" category does not include stateless people who are also in other categories, to avoid double counting. The total number of stateless, across all categories, is .
NB: 2025 figures are planning figures.
Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder for years until 2022, UNHCR planning figures (COMPASS) otherwise.
Population by country
Population by country
NB: 2025 figures are planning figures.
Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder for years until 2022, UNHCR planning figures (COMPASS) otherwise.
Population by origin
Population by origin
NB: 2025 figures are planning figures.
Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder for years until 2022, UNHCR planning figures (COMPASS) otherwise.
Financial
Budget and expenditure trend
Budget and expenditure trend
Source: 2025 budget was approved by ExCom in October 2024 while the 2024 budget figures include the latest supplementary appeals and are updated on a monthly basis.
Budget by pillar
Budget by pillar
Budget by objective
Budget by objective
Note: The table presents the budget for this operation broken down at the objective level. Resource allocation at the objective level is subject to change during the course of the year as the operational situation evolves and priorities shift. The current budget, reflected in the bottom line of this table, is updated on a monthly basis and is replaced by the final budget at year-end.
Expenditure by Outcome Area
Expenditure by Outcome Area
Budget by Impact Area
Budget by Impact Area
Source: 2023 budget as approved by the Executive Committee in October 2022.
2022 current budget as approved by the High Commissioner as of October 2022; pending presentation to the ExCom's Standing Committee.
Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas
Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas
Source: 2023 budget as approved by the Executive Committee in October 2022.
2022 current budget as approved by the High Commissioner as of October 2022; pending presentation to the ExCom's Standing Committee.
Budget by Impact Area
Budget by Impact Area
Source: 2024 budget and 2023 current budget are taken from the budget document approved by UNHCR's Executive Committee in October 2023.
Budget by Impact Area
Budget by Impact Area
Source: 2025 budget was approved by ExCom in October 2024 while the 2024 budget figures include the latest supplementary appeals and are updated on a monthly basis.
Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas
Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas
Source: 2025 budget was approved by ExCom in October 2024 while the 2024 budget figures include the latest supplementary appeals and are updated on a monthly basis.
Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas
Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas
Source: 2025 budget was approved by ExCom in October 2024 while the 2024 budget figures include the latest supplementary appeals and are updated on a monthly basis.
Budget by Impact Area
Budget by Impact Area
Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas
Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas
yearselected
Strategy - Country
Strategy
Office contact details
The UNHCR Representative in the Republic of Korea
Street and mailing address:
5F, Seoul N Square,
110, Toegye-ro, Jung-gu,
Seoul 04631, Republic of Korea
Phone:
+82 2 773 7011
Fax:
+82 2 773 7014
Email:
[email protected]
Time zone:
GMT +9
Working hours
- Monday: 9:00 - 18:00
- Tuesday: 9:00 - 18:00
- Wednesday: 9:00 - 18:00
- Thursday: 9:00 - 18:00
- Friday: 9:00 - 18:00
- Saturday: closed
- Sunday: closed
