Report on citizenship law : the Republic of Korea

Abstract

This report canvasses the citizenship law of the Republic of Korea with reference to its historical background and evolution, the system of citizenship law and administration, the modes of acquisition of citizenship, the grounds for the loss of citizenship, the law’s attitude to multiple citizenship and statelessness, and issues for future reform. The citizenship regime of the Republic of Korea has been shaped by the country’s background as a historic protonational state with a putatively ‘homogenous’ population (Hobsbawm 1992: 66), the experience of Japanese rule, waves of outmigration and diasporic experiences, national division, and a ‘migration transition’ since the 1990s (Castles, Haas & Miller 2014: 46-51). The report focuses on the legal aspects of the citizenship regime and does not purport to discuss the political and social implications of the law, but discerning readers will be able to sense how the backgrounds and processes of nation-building and population movement have shaped the legal regime.