SPOTLIGHT 24/05/04 S. Korean lawmaker seeks to ease dual citizenship rules

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S. Korean lawmaker seeks to ease dual citizenship rules 

National Assembly speaker says a multiple citizenship law could help address South Korea's declining birth rate

South Korea’s National Assembly speaker Kim Jin-pyo (left) talks to the president of Cambodia's National Assembly Khuon Sudary (right) during a meeting in Phnom Penh on Sept. 7, 2023. (Photo: AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: May 08, 2024 08:36 AM GMT

Updated: May 08, 2024 10:05 AM GMT

A prominent South Korean lawmaker visiting the United States says he will push for a multiple citizenship law in the legislature as a response to the low birth rate in the country.

Kim Jin-pyo, the speaker of South Korea’s National Assembly made the remark at a meeting with members of organizations representing Koreans in the US on May 4, the Korea Herald reported on May 6.

Kim said at the meeting at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles that letting people have citizenship of more than one country could be a solution to South Korea’s declining birth rate.

“Allowing people to hold multiple citizenship has gained considerable consensus in the [National] Assembly as well as the government,” Kim said.

The lawmaker pointed out that he was advocating for overseas Koreans to be eligible to apply for multiple citizenship once they reach the age of 40, the threshold for being exempt from compulsory military service.

“We’ll work to come up with bills that can reflect these realities,” Kim said.

Kim was responding to a question from James An, president of the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles, who asked for the revising of citizenship laws to let overseas Koreans become citizens of more than one country.

Kim is on a formal trip from May 4 to 18 for the 10th meeting of MIKTA — a group of five "middle-power" countries comprising Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Australia. He is also visiting Brazil and Argentina.

According to a Dual Citizenship Report by a global association of independent immigration lawyers and tax advisers, dual citizenship in South Korea has been considered “restricted.”

Korean citizenship law permits anyone born to a Korean national to immediately be recognized as a Korean citizen regardless of where he or she is born.

Other than by birth, Korean citizenship may also be obtained by acknowledgment (by a Korean parent), naturalization, and recovery of nationality.

As a rule, dual citizenship in Korea is not allowed. The law explicitly states that one who has acquired Korean citizenship must renounce the citizenship of another country within one year, while Korean nationals lose their Korean citizenship as soon as they acquire citizenship elsewhere.

The exceptions are when a person acquires Korean citizenship as a spouse of a Korean national, when a person has contributed greatly to the Republic of Korea, among others.

A person who has outstanding abilities in a specific field, such as science, economics, culture, or sport, or a person who finds it difficult to renounce his or her citizenship because of the laws and procedures of his or her country can also obtain dual citizenship.

There are also exceptions regarding certain former Korean nationals who want to regain their Korean citizenship.

The above categories of people must vow their intention not to exercise foreign citizenship in Korea as a requirement to obtaining dual citizenship.

However, Korean law does not always permit renunciation when it comes to Korean citizenship.

Because of the mandatory conscription system in Korea, male citizens must choose their desired citizenship before the end of March of the year when they turn 18.

Otherwise, Korean citizenship, if kept, can only be renounced either upon the fulfillment of military service or at the age of 38.

Meanwhile, the country is facing a demographic crisis due to a decline in live births and a rapidly aging population, according to the state-run Statistics Korea.

South Korea saw a 4.6 percent decline in live births from 260,562 in 2021 to 249,186 in 2022, the agency said.

The agency also reported that the fertility rate — which is the average number of children that are born to a woman over her lifetime — also dropped to a record low of 0.7 in 2022.

About 18.4 percent of South Korea’s estimated 51.5 million population are aged 65 and above, the agency reported.