The Korea Times is running a piece on a 34 year old Korean American who has been forced to enter South Korea’s national service for the obligatory two years and two months. The KT is also running this column by Canadian-Korean Leonard Kim decrying the South Korean practice of impressing foreign-born ethnic Korean males into the military. It’s a rather interesting topic, although I’d suspect that a great many ethnic Koreans holding foreign passports might not find it so amusing.
Anyway, here’s the dilemma, as far as I can tell (info courtesy the Hanul Law Firm) - let’s assume that little Chang-soo was born in the United States while his parents were there on either an F-1 (student) or B-2 (tourist) visa (I’d imagine any visa as long as his parents have not renounced their Korean citizenship) AND someone registered Chang-soo into the Family Census Registry back in the Fatherland. Chang-soo would be granted US citizenship, but at the same time, he’s granted Korean citizenship as well. Chang-soo is, in fact, a dual citizen. The problem is, Chang-soo might be unaware of this legal nicety, nor might he be aware that he must officially renounce his Korean citizenship before the age of 18 unless he desires to risk doing his two-year stint in the military. Now, South Korea doesn’t usually permit dual-citizenship past the age of 21, but it may not allow those past the age of 18 to renounce ROK citizenship without doing their military service first. What we then get is a situation where Chang-soo, who is now 25, pops by the Fatherland to visit his grandparents in Pusan, only to be rudely informed by the Ministry of Defense that his visit to Korea will be somewhat prolonged, on account that Chang-soo never officially renounced a citizenship he never knew he had, and while the government will probably ask him to choose one or the other, it will not do so until AFTER he does his time in the military.
This seems to me rather stupid - I’m not a lawyer, but clearly, there are legal issues here that need to be reworked. It’s one thing to conscript those who are actively using their status as dual-citizens; heck, if the government were to offer me dual-citizenship (with all the benefits that it entails), I’d be more than willing to spend two winters eating geon-bbang, smoking cigarettes, and cleaning my M-16 on some mountaintop in Kangwon Province. But where you have individuals who weren’t even aware that they were Korean citizens in the first place, I don’t think it’s entirely unreasonable to give those guys a pass.
PS: I know a couple of Korea Bloggers are lawyers - if you guys can add to / correct anythng in this post, I’d really appreciate it.
8 Comments
Years ago I was called by a young, desperate gyopo who wanted me to give him some advice about how to get out of having to go to the Korean army.
It’s easy I told him. Volunteer for the marines! Such a no brainer, when you think about it.
Anyway, I think problems exist not only with Korea. I had a seonbae from HS in the US who got drafted into the Greek military while visiting relatives there. In Korea’s case, I think that being more agressive about Korean citizens from overseas is a good thing. Inevitably, this will mean that some people will be using the “I didn’t know I was a citizen” defense, but that after a few years, they won’t have any excuses because everyone will know. I’m not a citizen and I’ve known about this for years now. What’s gives?
The MND is in a bind on this, btw. There really are a lot of people who go get other passports, then come back to Korea on those foreign passports and live regular lives (with visas) here, until they’re beyond conscriptable age, at which point they come back here and remind the country that they were citizens, then go on leading normal lives, w/o ever having done a man’s normal duties.
I would think the “legal issue” is this: If you’re a citizen, you’re going to the military.
I’m also for a universal draft in the U.S. One of my lesser reasons is that people won’t treat citizenship as convenient visa anymore.
My view about dual citizenship is just say no. If these guys chose to keep a second set of papers as an escape hatch, they got what’s coming to them. Good…
What I have seen with kyopos is that they want the best of what North America can offer them in standard of living, education, etc but do not really have any allegiance to Canada or the USA. Then when they get their nice North American degree, they high tail it back to Korea and act like the Big Man. I once sat on a plane with a Korean-Canadian kid. He ranted and raved how racist Canada was. Once he had a few beers in him he confided that he was booted out of U of T medical for plagarism. I do not know about America, but in Canada once you have plagarism on your transcript, no school is going to touch you with a ten foot Latvian. To make a long story short, he was on the plane back Korea to do his military service and then attend Yonsei. TFB I told him.
Most of these guys really are victims — having been screwed by a grandparent or parent recording the child’s birth on the family register and then neglecting to take any later action after emigration. Or worse, yet, emigrants reporting a child’s birth on the family register anyway.
BTW, Holt’s Adoption Service’s new (politically correct) name is Holt’s Children Services ??™궗??쨍 ????????쨀??짠???흸 (and Travel Agency, separate entrance on the side of the building).
I think it’s only fair that rich Koreans that leave their country to hide out in America or Canada to dodge military service, should be forced to serve just like the rest of their country men. It seems like they tried to play the system and they got played instead. What a nice surprise for them when they apply for their national ID card or try to fly out of Incheon. Where is there…how do they say in Korean, Uri Nara…?
I am a Korean American Male who joined the US military as a Reservist since I was 18. While growing up in USA, I could not understand why some of KA males who has US citizenship were afraid to visit Korea. Then I visited Korea for the first time when I was 29. On the way home, ROK Immgrant official asked me if I checked with thier manpower office in Kimpo Airport. I told them that I am an US Citizen and show him my US Passport, but they said that I still have to check to make sure that I am not on the list to get drafted. Little confused and frustrated, I show him my US military ID card. Then the official apolosized and I was able to board the plane to come back to states. I never thought that being a part of US military help me in this sitaution in Korea.
There’s solution for all Korean American males between 18-35 who wants to visit or live in Korea. Join the US military reserves. With military ID card, you can utilize US military PX and Commissary in Korea. What a benifit!!! Don’t have to serve in ROK Army as Conscript and you have access to US military posts in Korea.
Gentlemen,
Interesting correspondence and I support any healthy discussion on this controversial topic. However, in order to clarify your points, please be clear in understanding the difference between Korean-Americans/Canadians born and raised in North American their entire life (with no notice of their Korean nationality since their names were registered by a third party) and the individual who obtains dual citizenship by immigrating to Canada or the US.
This distinction is crucial in any discussion or analysis since the differences between Canadian or US born ethnic Koreans and the so-called passport babies from wealthy families out of the ROK, is substantial.
Regards,
Leonard Kim