A Korean court has granted refugee status to a Ugandan woman who claims she cannot return home for fear of being persecuted for her sexual orientation, officials said Wednesday.

The 27-year-old Ugandan woman, whose name remains undisclosed, fled to Korea in 2011 after her family members were killed by neighbors because she was a lesbian.

She soon petitioned the Seoul government for refugee status but the justice ministry rejected her application, saying she did not meet the criteria of a “well-founded fear of being persecuted.”

Reversing the ministry’s decision, the Seoul Administrative Court has ruled in favor of the woman on the grounds that it is highly likely that the plaintiff will be subject to persecution by the Ugandan government if repatriated, court officials said. (Yonhap News)