Seoul - For the first time South Korea's Supreme Court ruled Friday that Chinese nationals have the right to apply for asylum in South Korea.

South Korea's Supreme Court ruled against the Ministry of Justice appeal and ordered that asylum be granted to a three-member Chinese family who fear persecution at home, Yonhap news agency reported Friday.

Yuan Wenrui, 54, along with his wife and son, "belong to a category of people who 'have a well-founded fear of being persecuted' as defined by the UN refugee convention," the presiding judge said in the verdict.

Yuan filed for refugee status five years ago after entering Korea as members of a tour group. The ministry said Yuan had failed to prove that he had engaged in anti-Beijing activities at home and rejected their application in September 2006.

Yuan took his case to the judiciary, and an administrative court in 2007 ruled in his favour, saying he "expressed his political opinion in the residing country" and thus had a well-founded fear of political persecution at home.

South Korea began granting asylum in 2001 and has done so for a total of 95 people - 41 of whom are from Myanmar. At the same time about 370 applicants were denied. Refugees from North Korea are automatically granted South Korean citizenship. (dpa)