By Jane Han
DALLAS — While the foreign citizenship of Foreign Minister nominee Kang Kyung-wha’s daughter has the public debating her qualifications, many Koreans in the U.S. say it’s no surprise that this is a deal-breaking factor.
On Wednesday at a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul, Kang told lawmakers that her daughter has decided to give up her U.S. citizenship.
Many Korean-Americans here said that top government officials must go through a thorough vetting and foreign citizenship of their children is an issue serious enough to affect their jobs.
“Even some private U.S. companies require a top security clearance,” said John Kim, a lawyer based in Los Angeles specializing in administrative law. “It’s both acceptable and understandable that foreign citizenship of immediate family members would be a risk factor for anyone wanting to serve as a top government official.”
Security clearances are required for a wide range of jobs — particularly in the aerospace and defense industries — in the U.S., but senior government positions call for the most rigorous screening prior to employment.
According to experts, the U.S. government uses 13 adjudicative guidelines to determine the eligibility of a candidate, and two of them are related to gauging the foreign influences on a candidate and their preferences.
“The citizenship status of a candidate’s spouse, children and other close family members is important information, among other factors, that is subject to a comprehensive review,” said Kim.
Many Koreans here following the news about President Moon Jae-in’s new administration and its appointees don’t seem surprised that the public in Korea views the foreign citizenship of Kang’s daughter as a disqualifying factor.
“My husband lost a job opportunity with a leading aerospace company because he couldn’t pass the top security clearance screening,” said a 44-year-old Kim of San Diego, who didn’t want to be fully named. “In our family’s case, my husband is the only one with U.S. citizenship as my three children and I are all Korean citizens.”
“If security is critical to this level at a private company, I could only assume how important it is for a country,” she said.
Lisa Yoon, 52, a realtor based in Fairfax, Virginia, says, “Imagine Chelsea Clinton being a Korean citizen. Do you think former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would’ve passed the confirmation hearing? She may have passed, but it certainly would have been a hot topic.”
Ron Choi, 26, a graduate student at New York University, says the nature of the position as foreign minister makes it potentially problematic that Kang’s daughter is a U.S. citizen.
“If the position was something else, it may be less contentious,” he said. “I can see why the Korean public isn’t too happy with the situation.”
Within online communities popular among Koreans in the U.S., dozens continue to argue over Kang’s eligibility.
Many people support the first woman to be nominated as foreign minister, but express reasons for concern related to conflicts of interest.
“Much of it will depend on how the candidate herself thoughtfully explains how she and her daughter will handle this issue,” wrote one user. “That’s what hearings are for so let’s see what she has to say.”
Another user wrote in defense of Kang, “We need to focus on her outstanding experience, not her daughter’s passport.”
Chun Jong-joon, an immigration lawyer based in Washington D.C., also stressed, “I hope Koreans will be able to look past the citizenship controversy. We need to be more open-minded and change our old mindset.”
“Dual citizenship has long been viewed as a symbol of prestige, which can be a turn off factor for the average person. But it’s time to think about what’s best for the country,” he said. “Is she talented? Then give her the job.”