By Park Si-soo
The government unveiled detailed guidelines for foreigners eligible for Korean citizenship without relinquishing their own nationality, Wednesday.
The move comes nearly two months after the government began to promote dual citizenship on Jan.1 in an effort to prevent a brain drain, bring in talented foreign workers, and fight the notorious low birthrate here.
According to the guidelines, a 20-member committee, chaired by the chief immigration officer, will examine the expertise, reputation and experience of applicants engaging in science, engineering, business, humanitarian studies, culture and sports.
Foreigners recommended by heads of ministries, the National Assembly and the judiciary will be readily given Korean citizenship upon applying. In the academic circle, those working at universities or renowned laboratories at home or abroad for more than five years as a professor or a researcher will also be eligible to apply.
Those who have authored papers released by an internationally famed organization or academy will be given the same treatment, it said, as will Nobel Prize laureates and awardees of other famed prizes.
In sports, those who participated in the World Cup, Olympics and other renowned international competitions as player or coach can apply, as can entertainers whose proven annual income is five times higher than the gross national income (GNI) of South Korea.
Experienced business managers will be also welcomed as well. Those working at 300 top companies, selected by Fortune, Forbes, Business Week and the Economist, for five years as a manager or executive can also apply for Korean citizenship.
Also, foreigners who manage a Korean company with at least 300 employees or a firm running on basic capital of more than 8 billion won or exporting goods worth more than $5 million annually for three years in a row will be granted the right to apply.