Starting January, Koreans residing overseas, talented foreign nationals and foreign residents married to Koreans will be allowed to hold dual citizenship under certain conditions.
The revised law on nationality — designed to prevent a brain drain, bring in talented foreigners and fight the low birthrate — will take effect on Jan. 1, the Ministry of Justice said Thursday.
Under the revised law, Koreans who obtained dual citizenship at birth will be permitted to maintain the two nationalities, if they take an oath not to exercise their right as a foreign national while staying here.
This measure is to prevent dual citizenship holders from taking advantage of a foreign national’s right to avoid laws applied only to Korean nationals.
Such people include those who were born in foreign countries when their parents were working or studying there and those born to multicultural families in Korea.
They have to take the oath before turning 22 years old. Under the current law, their Korean citizenship is automatically forfeited if they don’t choose one of the nationalities by 22 years of age.
However, the privilege will not be granted to “anchor babies,” whose mothers give birth in a country offering birthright citizenship — such babies will get Korean nationality only when they renounce the foreign one. Young men who are subject to military service will be eligible for dual citizenship only when they fulfill their duties.
Talented foreigners who may contribute to Korea’s development will be able to gain Korean citizenship without giving up their own regardless of the length of their stay in Korea. Currently, naturalization is allowed only to those who have stayed here for five years or longer or those who are married to Korean nationals and have lived here for at least two years.
Overseas Koreans over 65 years old who come back to Korea to live here permanently can also hold dual citizenship if they take the oath.
The new law will also permit foreigners who obtain Korean nationality to renounce their foreign citizenship within a year — a six-month extension from the current six months.
Currently, such foreigners lose their Korean citizenship if they don’t give up their foreign nationality within six months, and many have lost it because they failed to carry out the related process within the short period.
A new clause will also be introduced to divest dual nationality holders of Korean citizenship — a countermeasure to minimize side effects of the dual citizenship system. These people will be deprived of Korean nationality if they act against the national interest with regard to the economy, national security and diplomatic relations, or seriously disturb public order.
1월 1일부터 복수국적 허용
1월부터 해외동포, 글로벌 인재와 결혼 이주민들은 일정한 조건이 충족되면 복수국적을 가질 수 있게 됐다.
인재 유출을 막고 외국인 우수 인력을 유치하며 저출산에 대응하고자 새 국적법이 1월 1일부터 시행된다.
새 법에 따르면, 선천적 복수국적자는 국내에서 외국국적을 행사하지 않겠다는 서약을 하면 복수국적을 유지할 수 있다.
그러나 이 혜택은 원정출산으로 태어난 아이들에게는 주어지지 않을 것이다. 그런 아이들은 외국 국적을 포기한 경우에만 한국 국적을 취득할 수 있다. 군대에 가야 하는 남성들은 병역을 마쳐야만 이중 국적을 유지할 수 있다.
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