On Feb. 2, two days before the beginning of spring (Ipchun), foreign tourists watch an elderly man writing a traditional spring calligraphy banner at the Korean Folk Village in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – The number of people becoming South Korean citizens climbed above 11,000 last year, marking the strongest rebound in naturalizations since the disruptions of the Covid-19 era, the Justice Ministry said Wednesday.
A total of 18,623 foreign nationals applied for citizenship between January and December, and 11,344 were granted naturalization, according to ministry data. The figure represents a steady recovery after several years of pandemic-related volatility.
Naturalizations surged to a record 13,885 in 2020, as international travel restrictions and global uncertainty prompted many long-term residents to formalize their status in South Korea. The annual total then fell to 10,895 in 2021 and 10,248 in 2022 before edging up to 10,346 in 2023 and 11,008 in 2024.
Chinese nationals accounted for the largest share of new citizens last year, comprising 56.5 percent, or 6,420 people. They were followed by Vietnamese at 23.4 percent, Filipinos at 3.1 percent and Thais at 2.2 percent.
The ministry also reported an increase in the number of former South Koreans reclaiming their citizenship. Some 4,037 people regained nationality last year, up from 3,607 the previous year. Meanwhile, 25,002 people lost or renounced South Korean citizenship, down 5.6 percent from 26,494 a year earlier.
The data reflect a gradual normalization in cross-border mobility and migration patterns as the country emerges from the pandemic’s aftereffects, while underscoring South Korea’s continued role as a destination for long-term settlement in East Asia.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
