People who have been naturalized specially for their talents salute the national flag during a ceremony to receive certificates of South Korean citizenship at the government complex in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, on April 21, 2021. Such people can maintain their original nationalities. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 16 (Korea Bizwire) — An increasing number of foreigners are gaining interest in acquiring citizenship or permanent residence permits in South Korea for a continuous stay or economic activity in the country.
The Korea Immigration Service reported that 10,895 people became naturalized citizens last year. Except for 2019, more than 10,000 foreigners have acquired Korean nationality each year over the last 10 years.
Naturalization applicants must pass a written social integration examination to earn a slot for an interview.
The interviews, which are typically 20 to 30 minutes long, assess applicants’ knowledge about the Korean language, domestic politics, history, the constitution, culture, geography and other important issues. The applicants are also asked to sing South Korea’s national anthem.
While there is no official statistical data of applicants who have passed the interviews, field sources estimate the acceptance rate to be around 45 percent, indicating that the interview is somewhat challenging.
“Native Koreans would find the exams difficult as well,” one of the naturalized citizens from Europe said. “Questions about Korean history were particularly difficult.”
Experts believe that the number of foreigners wishing to acquire permanent residence or citizenship in South Korea will continue to increase.
Statistics Korea reported that last year, 88.2 percent of foreigners in the country wished to stay even after their visa expires, up from 85.1 percent in 2019 and 86.5 percent in 2020.
Among foreigners, 53.6 percent preferred to extend their visas to stay longer in the country. Others picked acquisition of a permanent residence permit (14.6 percent) or South Korean citizenship (11.1 percent) to stay in the country.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
