The number of refugees seeking to settle in South Korea jumped five-fold in 2015 from three years earlier, data showed Monday.

According to data compiled by Rep. Jung Sung-ho of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, the number of asylum seekers in South Korea came to 5,711 in 2015, jumping from 1,143 posted in 2012.

Around 4,800 refugees also knocked on South Korea's door through end-August this year, the data also showed.

Jung, however, said the number of immigration-handling workers is far behind the rising demand. Only 22 staff deal with such issues, with each employee handling 257 cases annually.

"While the number of refugees has been increasing due to the war in Syria, we have too little staff to cope," Jung said, adding the government needs to allocate more budget and workers to this issue. (Yonhap)