The surge in the number of unemployment credit applicants came as a result of rising unemployment in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

According to data from Statistics Korea, the number of jobless people was 1.01 million last year, the highest level since 2000, when the agency began compiling relevant data.

The jobless situation has been deteriorating this year. Unemployed people in South Korea totaled 1.26 million in March, with the number hovering above the 1 million mark for the third straight month. It was also the highest tally for March since 2000.

The country's jobless rate stood at 4.5 percent in March, the highest rate for the month since the 5.1 percent recorded in 2001.

With the jobless rate remaining high, 628,000 South Koreans applied for unemployment benefits in the first quarter of this year, the largest quarterly tally since 2010, according to a report by the Korean Employment Information Service.

The applicants are estimated to have received a combined 1.49 trillion won ($1.38 billion) in unemployment benefits during the three-month period.

In South Korea, eligible workers can get unemployment allowances for three to eight months, depending on their age and the terms of their unemployment insurance policy. (Yonhap)