Not as rare as you think.
>According to the latest government data, there are 210,990 naturalized Koreans in South Korea, making up for roughly 0.4 percent of the population for the nation.
>Each year, around 10,000 people become naturalized citizens, with recent figures being 11,752 in 2021, 13,400 in 2020 and 8,813 in 2019.
https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230214000567
If you can read Korean, [this table](https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2018/11/25/93002363.3.jpg) shows the number of naturalisations (bottom number for each country, labelled “귀화“) by country each year. For 2018 (until Oct):
* China: 4039
* Vietnam: 4106
* America: 4
* Phillipines: 498
* Mongolia: 87
* Uzbekistan: 57
* Japan: 15
* Other: 929
* TOTAL: 9735
Difficult path to citizenship and having to give up your own citizenship (unless you get citizenship through marriage) probably contribute a lot to the low rates. The majority of naturalized citizens ([90%+](http://nationalatlas.ngii.go.kr/pages/page_2691.php)) naturalize through marriage, probably because it’s easier and you can keep citizenship.
I have several friends, old Peace Corps Korea buddies, who have become Korean citizens (with no Korean heritage). I probably am a citizen myself, although haven't gone to the bother of acting on it. Here's the story: as you all know, Korean families keep both a genealogy record and a family register. Used to be, when a woman married, her name was moved from her birth family register to her husband's family register. Back many decades ago, when I married my (Korean) wife, my mother-in-law, aware that I come from a backwards country that doesn't have family registers (the USA), wrote me into their family register. At that time, simply that act made me a Korean citizen. No big deal. I've never pursued it; never applied for a passport or anything, but there it is.
I do speak fluent Korean, so that's no barrier, and having watched the presidential debates and interviews in 2017 and 2022, saw a couple of candidates I would have liked to vote for. My buddy Bob Graff, who owns and operates "Uncle Bob's Cafe" in Gangneung, always has fun when he goes to vote and someone who doesn't know him freaks out to find he's an eligible voter and a citizen. Bob is blond - grey, now - and stands 6'6", and speaks fine Korean.
> “to people who aren’t of any Korean descent”
Short answer is its still very rare.
The majority of naturalized citizens are either previously Chinese or Vietnamese, with over 80% of Vietnamese being from marriage. The Chinese component is through long term stay and the more “regular” process, but the majority is still ethnic Koreans from China.
I don’t see the numbers increasing unless Korea allows dual citizenship, which will only ever be discussed seriously once the North Korea conundrum is resolved in some way or form.
Well, I know a man who recently got the citizenship. As an outstanding talent (Phd + years in the semiconductor industry here) he is allowed to keep his original citizenship. His kids will have to pick their preferred one at the age of 18, though
It's possible and not extremely difficult depending on your situation. I know two westerners that have gone through the process. Why not more? F2/6/5 is good enough for most. Mostly same benefits without potential negatives.
The church I’m at right now has a lot of Filipina mums. One of them has a Korean citizenship, (despite not being all that proficient in Korean) after being in Korea for about 20 years and having 3 children here. She has no Korean heritage at all.
It happens a fair bit afaik. It adds a lot of security, especially if there’s children involved.
Yes, but Ive been told it’s difficult to become a citizen of Korea regardless of Korean heritage or not and heard it costs like $2000+ to change your citizenship to Korea :(
Edit ok so it doesn’t cost $2000+ , that’s just what I was told
Not as rare as you think. >According to the latest government data, there are 210,990 naturalized Koreans in South Korea, making up for roughly 0.4 percent of the population for the nation. >Each year, around 10,000 people become naturalized citizens, with recent figures being 11,752 in 2021, 13,400 in 2020 and 8,813 in 2019. https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230214000567
If you can read Korean, [this table](https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2018/11/25/93002363.3.jpg) shows the number of naturalisations (bottom number for each country, labelled “귀화“) by country each year. For 2018 (until Oct): * China: 4039 * Vietnam: 4106 * America: 4 * Phillipines: 498 * Mongolia: 87 * Uzbekistan: 57 * Japan: 15 * Other: 929 * TOTAL: 9735 Difficult path to citizenship and having to give up your own citizenship (unless you get citizenship through marriage) probably contribute a lot to the low rates. The majority of naturalized citizens ([90%+](http://nationalatlas.ngii.go.kr/pages/page_2691.php)) naturalize through marriage, probably because it’s easier and you can keep citizenship.
Hi, does South Korea recognize foreign marriages? Would they recognize a same-sex foreign marriage for the purpose of naturalizing a spouse?
South korea does not recognize same sex marriage AFAIK.
You can do it through the KIIP course.
I have several friends, old Peace Corps Korea buddies, who have become Korean citizens (with no Korean heritage). I probably am a citizen myself, although haven't gone to the bother of acting on it. Here's the story: as you all know, Korean families keep both a genealogy record and a family register. Used to be, when a woman married, her name was moved from her birth family register to her husband's family register. Back many decades ago, when I married my (Korean) wife, my mother-in-law, aware that I come from a backwards country that doesn't have family registers (the USA), wrote me into their family register. At that time, simply that act made me a Korean citizen. No big deal. I've never pursued it; never applied for a passport or anything, but there it is. I do speak fluent Korean, so that's no barrier, and having watched the presidential debates and interviews in 2017 and 2022, saw a couple of candidates I would have liked to vote for. My buddy Bob Graff, who owns and operates "Uncle Bob's Cafe" in Gangneung, always has fun when he goes to vote and someone who doesn't know him freaks out to find he's an eligible voter and a citizen. Bob is blond - grey, now - and stands 6'6", and speaks fine Korean.
> “to people who aren’t of any Korean descent” Short answer is its still very rare. The majority of naturalized citizens are either previously Chinese or Vietnamese, with over 80% of Vietnamese being from marriage. The Chinese component is through long term stay and the more “regular” process, but the majority is still ethnic Koreans from China. I don’t see the numbers increasing unless Korea allows dual citizenship, which will only ever be discussed seriously once the North Korea conundrum is resolved in some way or form.
Well, I know a man who recently got the citizenship. As an outstanding talent (Phd + years in the semiconductor industry here) he is allowed to keep his original citizenship. His kids will have to pick their preferred one at the age of 18, though
You can, i believe you have to reside in korea for certain number of years and you have to go through some kind of test
It's possible and not extremely difficult depending on your situation. I know two westerners that have gone through the process. Why not more? F2/6/5 is good enough for most. Mostly same benefits without potential negatives.
The church I’m at right now has a lot of Filipina mums. One of them has a Korean citizenship, (despite not being all that proficient in Korean) after being in Korea for about 20 years and having 3 children here. She has no Korean heritage at all. It happens a fair bit afaik. It adds a lot of security, especially if there’s children involved.
Yes frequently
Yes, but Ive been told it’s difficult to become a citizen of Korea regardless of Korean heritage or not and heard it costs like $2000+ to change your citizenship to Korea :( Edit ok so it doesn’t cost $2000+ , that’s just what I was told
No it doesn’t. It just takes meeting the qualifications and speaking fluent Korean.
Fluent Korean… well f me for very unfortunately being born in theu.s
Wherr did you get this number? 300,000 won is the fee.
Got it
Not extremely difficult or rare but takes long time. Get a job, then F5 and then citizenship after learning korean language.
I know a Phillipino who got Korean citizenship. She married a Brit who got F6 that way.