Welcome to BASE21

By Park Nohja, Professor at Oslo National University, Norway

I married a Korean woman in 1995. I had qualified to acquire Korean citizenship because I was a full-time lecturer at Kyonghee University and I had lived in Korea for more than two years. But, it is not everyone who qualifies for Korean citizenship who applies for naturalization. Moreover, dual nationality is not allowed in Korea. It was a hard decision to renounce my right to Russian citizenship, which I had had since I was born. It is also sad that I need to get a visa when I visit my parents in Russia.

I can recall clearly the day I applied for Korean citizenship at Immigration, without hesitation. Contrary to my complex feelings, the Ministry of Law officer was unaffable. The only question he asked was, "Aren't you a undocumented worker?

I wonder why he asked that because he had read my certification. There were my wife's bankbook and the copy of the contract of our house rental, along with a deposit, which I had to submit. I could guess how he would treat undocumented workers.

One of features of Korean Naturalization Law is that only a person who has enough wealth, about 30 million Won, can be naturalized. Fortunately, I could pass with the aid of my wife's money and my career.

A number of migrant workers do not find it easy to pass, like me, so I think Korean Naturalization Law is unfair to the socially weak because usually, migrant workers are not wealthy.

A few months later, I had a naturalization test. The test was not easy, even though I had studied Koreanology.

For example, if I need to know the works of high level, such as labor law', 'Judge', 'Judgment'. And there was an even more difficult question, which was "Who was the writer of Sanuhwa?" That means that if someone doesn't know who Kim Sowol is they can't get Korean Citizenship.

As a matter of fact, those who could pass the test might only be Europeans who have studied Koreanology or a Japanese or Chinese who had lived in the area of Chinese letter culture.

I saw a Pakistani and a Nigerian who failed the test. They were so depressed. I thought one of main reasons of the test was to make non-European and non-far Eastern Asians drop out of the naturalization process.

After passing the test, I received my certification and a Taegueki (Korean national flag) in a ceremony at the Gwacheon Government office building. There weren't any black men, Africans or South East Asians being naturalized.

There were some people from Pakistan, but most of the people were Chinese, who have lived in Korea for a long time.

It obviously shows that the requirement of property and a Korean language test is useful in cutting out the socially weak.
Of course, it wasn't the end of the process of getting Korean citizenship. I still had the most difficult task - having to give up my Russian nationality within 6 months. If I didn't do it, my Korean citizenship would cease in the course of time by law. Or, if I gave up Russian citizenship within one and half years, I could get Korean citizenship again.

As you can see, Korean naturalistic law is very hostile. Maybe, the military dominant era had a big influence on this law by overemphasis on patriotism and national loyalty.

If there are two for loyalty, it will be very serious

Anyway, the prohibiting law about dual citizenship made things hard for me because the process for giving up Russian nationality is quite complicated, so it is almost impossible to abandon it within 6 months. I could submit 'Certification of abandonment of Russian nationality' to the Korean Embassy in Norway after one and half years, so I could get my Korean citizenship, only just.

I am glad to treat Korean problems as 몂ur?matter, which now includes me. However, at the same time, I feel sorry for the people who can't easily get Korean citizenship because of the complicated Korean procedures.

I hope that one day Korea can give citizenship without any prerequisites or tests if they have stayed in Korea for a long period, like Norway. If many kinds of people from all over the world can get citizenship, the Korean community and culture will be richer and more progressive.

This article is adapted from 'Human Rights and Peace Story, People to People - Korean House for International Solidarity (KHIS)