SEOUL (AFP) - A jailed South Korean rapist has filed a lawsuit against prison authorities seeking the return of hundreds of pornographic photos seized from his cell, an official said today.

The 46-year-old sued after 200 photographs were confiscated when he was transferred to a prison in the south-western city of Gwangju late last year, a spokesman at the facility said.

While prisoners are allowed adult magazines, the images obtained by the rapist were "out of line", the spokesman said.

"Allowing him to keep them runs counter to the prison's purpose of rehabilitation, given their sheer volume and the level of obscenity," the spokesman said.

In his lawsuit, the convict claimed he was being deprived of items deemed necessary during incarceration. A court hearing has been scheduled for March.

"We've seen lawsuits filed by prisoners whose possessions were confiscated for a certain reason, but we've never seen one involving porn," the spokesman said.