This Dec. 12, 2019, file photo shows the Constitutional Court in central Seoul holding a hearing on the constitutionality of the nationality act. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The National Assembly passed a bill aimed at granting a longer period for multiple nationality holders to report the renouncement of South Korean citizenship.
The revision was made in line with the Constitutional Court’s 2020 ruling that some clauses of the Nationality Act imposing obligations and restraints on multiple nationality holders in their selection of nationality do not conform to the Constitution.
The revised law will go into effect in October, and those who hold multiple citizenships for natural reasons will be allowed to renounce South Korean citizenship even after the application period if they have valid reasons, such as a disadvantage in job selection.
The law defines natural holders of multiple nationalities as those who were born and raised abroad and those who immigrated to another country before the age of 6.
It also stipulates the creation of a new process to allow citizenship renunciation in exceptional cases acknowledged by the justice ministry.
Until now, multiple nationality holders subject to mandatory military service in the country were required to choose one nationality by March 31 of the year they turn 18.
If they want to give up Korean nationality after the deadline passes, they must fulfill their military service obligations or wait until age 36, when military duty obligations expire.
The measure has sparked criticism that it excessively restricts the right of those holding multiple nationalities.
(Yonhap)
