Description
A Russian mother married to a South Korean man fears their 17-year-old son, who was born and raised in South Korea, may no longer be a Korean citizen.
She obtained Russian nationality for him when he was two. While South Korea allows dual nationality in some cases, acquiring another nationality after birth can mean losing Korean citizenship.
Other families in South Korea told CNA that officials had assured them their children could hold both nationalities. But some later discovered their children had lost Korean citizenship years earlier. One family’s children were even ordered to leave South Korea, while the family was told to repay childcare subsidies and health insurance benefits.
Now, the mother is afraid to confirm her son's nationality status, fearing the family could be asked to repay years of medical and education costs. Her son also plans to fulfil his compulsory military service, but they worry his nationality could be questioned.
South Korea's Justice Ministry is pursuing changes to its nationality law that could allow affected children to retain both nationalities. But questions remain over what the changes would mean for those who may have already lost Korean citizenship.
Watch Lim Yun Suk's report on CNA Correspondent.
#cnainsider #southkorea #citizenship
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