By Lee Yoonseo and Hahm Hee-eun

The Ministry of Justice created an official Committee for Nationality Review and offered special citizenship to five people on July 31, including marathon runner Wilson Loyanae Erupe. The five new Koreans are all specialized in certain fields, such as physical education, semiconductor device processing, transport logistics engineering, mobile communications or musicology.

Since 2011, the ministry has granted special citizenships to highly qualified individuals who can contribute to the national interest in the specific fields of science, economics, the arts or physical education.

Dual citizenship is accepted by the Korean government after submitting a written pledge, within a year, vowing not to exercise their rights as a non-citizen resident while in Korea. Dual citizens are treated solely as Korean nationals when they are in Korea.

Since the implementation of the system, 128 new Koreans, including 69 in science, 26 in physical education, and 13 in the humanities, have been selected as highly-qualified human resources.

Potential new Koreans who want to naturalize can apply for special citizenship at an Immigration Office and go through a deliberation, resolution and interview process conducted by the Committee for Nationality Review.


clo1120@korea.kr