Korea may allow dual citizenship soon… although it won’t mean a thing to draft dodgers:
Those who obtain foreign citizenship by birth will be allowed to maintain it if they submit a written oath by the age of 22 not to exercise the rights and privileges of foreigners in Korea by using their second passport.
After the age of 22, men will be allowed to maintain multiple citizenship only if they complete their military service here. Under the current law, dual citizenship holders must choose one nationality by the age of 22 and submit a written pledge to give up their foreign citizenship if they choose their Korean nationality. The revision is aimed at blocking a drain on military manpower.
Those who use their foreign passports to exercise rights as foreigners, however, will have to choose one nationality or the other.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
“rights and privileges of foreigners in Korea”
huh?
Perhaps I missed the list… someone please post these “rights and privleges” so I can begin to take part in them.
This seems a waste of time:
“Those who obtain foreign citizenship by birth will be allowed to maintain it if they submit a written oath by the age of 22 not to exercise the rights and privileges of foreigners in Korea by using their second passport.”
This is redundant and there is no need to sign such a letter.
If you are Korean citizen in Korea you can’t claim to be a foreigner or claim rights or claim special privileges or dual citizenship . In addition you can’t enter the country on a foreign passport and expect it to protect you from Korean obligations (such as army duty).
Wasn’t there a story a while ago about some Korean guy who moved to the states, got a Green Card, joined the US army, was stationed in Korea, and then got arrested by the Koreans for avoiding the conscription?
Dual citizenship is not recognized if you are in one of the countries that you are member of.
The issue of claiming dual citizenship in a country you are already a member of is already addressed under international law, no need to sign a letter.
I really love the part about the privileges.
It basically means that if you want to be a Korean don’t be a foreigner (privileges included)?
I wonder who the government had in mind…
Privileges of being a white foreigner in Korea:
1. Can easily date a lot of Koreans – and the fun stuff that goes along with that (seriously: fun stuff… I’m not being sarcastic)
2. Can get out of “duties” such as hoishik (at least 2cha and especially 3cha) and social circle crap
3. Not expected to kiss ass so much – this is a BIG bonus!
4. Easily forgiven, at least in a public way, for screwing something up (but of course still privately scorned as “idiot foreigner”)
5. Given better service in department stores and the like (perhaps scored behind your back… but who cares, right?)
6. Not hounded by salespeople the way Koreans are – BIG bonus!
7. Not expected to do it NOW DAMMIT!! – at least not as often as Koreans have to put up with that
8. Probably not gossiped about so harshly the way many Koreans are, as you’re seen as not even worth gossiping about
9. Basically no family obligations (Chuseok, gifting, etc.)
10. Not obligated to answer your phone at 3 am when your drunk boss or colleague calls (an “I was sleeping” excuse is accepted if it even comes up at all the next day)
I think a lot of these privileges are enjoyed by non-white non-Koreans, too… but unfortunately whites do have it better.
This will actually benefit Korea in the future and encourage more people to come to Korea to live and work. I guess, even now, my notions of what is “Korean” is more based upon external looks but then, this will probably change beyond what I might imagine.
Life goes on.
Has WJK really been banned?! This is his “expertise”!!!
Problem with these so-called “privileges” is that they aren’t privileges at all — they are nothing more than drug-addled delusions of grandeur commonly found among pothead transients, schizophrenic paranoids, and/or self-loathing, self-pitying narcissists.
Not really. Wandering whitey, with no roots or vested interest in Korea, is — and always will be — a short-timer, a transient on a temporary visa, whose presence on the peninsula is trumped and kept in check by the 교포, who is well practiced in leaving anonymous tips with immigration, the prosecutor’s office, et al., regarding visa overstays, drug allegations, illegal work, diploma fraud, etc. Whitey beware — 교포 gonna getcha! 교포 gonna getcha! 교포 gonna getcha! (How’s that for alliteration?)
“If you are Korean citizen in Korea you can’t claim to be a foreigner or claim rights or claim special privileges or dual citizenship.”
Exactly, it seems a bit pointless. As you already note you don’t get any special privileges from the other country when you’re in the other. The UK Government even specifically warns dual nationals of this with a leaflet when you get a passport.
Zen, what exactly do all those points have to do with the privileges of holding a second passport as well as a korean one?
aren’t these what the privileges that they mean? is english comprehension also hard for some of you?
A korean blood doesn’t need korean passport anyway since they’re entitled to almost all the privileges of being korean anyway (F4 Visa – Work and Live wherever you want).
#1 Certain tax breaks.
This could create safe heaven for these trying dodge army conscription.
This is mostly driven by the need to keep talented Koreans from defecting to the States or Canada or Europe.
That said, as an F-4 card carrier, I don’t see much value in getting citizenship, other than for minor benefits for travel abroad (might be able to avoid paying for some entry visas like Brazil) and voting in Korean elections.
Though potential downsides, for me, would be others asking me: Are you Korean? (because then the answer would be yes…and technically, yes) Or people then trying to mislabel me as a Korean-Korean.
You must log in to post a comment.
{ 1 trackback }