By Kang Seung-woo
The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) said Wednesday that it has decided not to recommend a special naturalization for Jeonbuk Motors’ Eninho to the Ministry of Justice.
“After a strict screening based on the basic purpose of the law for special naturalization, we reached the conclusion,” said an official of the KOC’s legal department.
The KOC said in its statement that considering the basic purpose of the law, the program that grants dual citizenships should be dealt more carefully with foreigners than those who have Korean descent. It added that how much the Brazilian is accustomed to the Korean culture had been considered in his evaluation.
Under the current law, non-Koreans must stay in Korea for five years in a row to be eligible to apply for Korean citizenship. They must also relinquish their nationality.
However, according to the revised law for special naturalization that took effect on Jan. 1, 2011, as part of efforts to attract more global talent, a non-Korean evaluated by the government as a ``talented person with ample potential to contribute to the nation's development'' will be allowed to become a naturalized Korean, retaining his or her nationality.
Until now, there have been four athletes who have benefited from the new law including pro basketball players Moon Tae-jong, Moon Tae-young and Kimberly Roberson. But all of them were of Korean descent.
After playing for the Suwon Bluewings in the 2003-2004 season, Eninho has played in the K-League since 2007, which means he qualifies for the citizenship application. He played for Daegu FC in 2007 and 2008 before moving to Jeonbuk in 2009.
Earlier the day, the Korea Football Association (KFA) said that it is pushing ahead to have Eninho naturalized to address the needs of the national squad ahead of the Brazil World Cup in 2014.
“At the request of national team manager Choi Kang-hee, the KFA has decided to seek a special naturalization for Eninho,” KFA Chief Media Officer Lee Won-jae said.
Choi attributed his naturalization to a need for a winger in his squad that is going after an eighth-straight World Cup berth.
“Although Lee Chung-yong has returned from injury, he is not completely match-fit. As a result, we need an attacking threat on the flanks,” Choi said in a media interview. The manager also coached Eninho at Jeonbuk until he took charge of the national team in December.
The KFA also said that as soon as he obtains Korean citizenship, Choi will include him in his plans. Korea will start the final qualifying round for the 2014 World Cup on June 9 against Qatar.
But the KOC said that the national team has a deep player pool at the wing position, so it said no go.
However, the KOC left room for further discussion of his naturalization.
“The KFA can apply repeatedly and the result will depend on the situation in the future,” the KOC official said.