Dual Citizenship in Korea
Pureum Law Office (PLO) head Simon Lee wrote an article on dual citizenship in Korea in Dual Citizenship Report, which is a world-leading authority on dual and multiple citizenships.
Pureum Law Office (PLO) head Simon Lee wrote an article on dual citizenship in Korea in Dual Citizenship Report, which is a world-leading authority on dual and multiple citizenships.
Since its publication, PLO has received numerous inquiries over the years in regard to the article, with those holding dual or multiple citizenships (as well as their parents) inquiring about the legality of citizenship “by birth” for themselves and/or their children. We, therefore, present herein answers to FAQs in order to share this valuable information with the foreign community in South Korea.
Dual Citizenship in Korea
Korean Citizenship Standard | Korean Citizenship Requirements 2025
Those born before June 14, 1998:
(Previously, the following article was found in Korea’s Nationality Act [enforced from Dec 22, 1976].)
Article 2 (Acquisition of Nationality by Birth)(1) Any of the following persons shall be a national of the Republic of Korea (ROK) at birth: A person whose father is a national of the ROK at the time of the person’s birth. Therefore, according to the Act above, even those whose mother was a Korean national at the time of their birth, would not acquire Korean citizenship if they were born before June 14, 1998 and if their father was a foreign national.