To avoid the compulsory three-year stint in the Korean Armed Forces, many second-generation Korean Americans are opting to give up their Korean citizenship. In New York, many young men who will soon be eligible for military duty are reporting instead to the Consulate General's office to renounce their citizenship. They see no other way out of the demand that they serve in the Korean military.
The situation is not at all new – people have been opting out of their Korean citizenship for years; according to a report from the New York Korean Consul General's office released on May 7, over 1,692 Korean Americans renounced their citizenship in the period from January, 2006 to May, 2008. Of concern, however, is the fact that among these 1600 people, 15 percent, or 254, were minors. Broken down by year, the report shows that in 2006 more than 112 young Korean Americans have given up their citizenship; in 2007, 113; and to date in 2008, 29.
Most of them are second-generation Korean Americans, under 18, and who received American citizenship at birth were also listed in Korean family census documents, activating their dual citizenship.
An individual associated with the New York Korean Consulate said, "Because Korean law regarding nationality does not allow dual citizenship, many second-generation Korean citizens simply give up their Korean nationality. The largest single contributing factor in this decision is the desire to avoid military service in the Korean Armed Forces.”
Korean law dictates that Korean-American men over 18 years of age, with dual citizenship, and who have not fulfilled their military service, can be forcibly conscripted while on Korean soil – while traveling to Korea on vacation. If an individual has renounced his Korean citizenship and failed to file proper notification, he may find himself imprisoned by the Korean authorities for failure to fulfill his compulsory military service. This is leading greater numbers of young Korea-American males to
renounce their Korean citizenship at a younger age – while teens.
Members of the Korean-American community are speaking out about this situation and calling for a change. Unless current Korean laws on citizenship and military service change, second generation Korean Americans will continue to face this very difficult decision.
Many see this as an identity conflict and ask the Korean government to consider changing the laws, so that Koreans abroad can retain their cultural identity, through continued citizenship.
Ms. Huh, Nang-ja, chairwoman of the Korean-American Northeast School Council noted, "The second generation young Korean-American men abroad really need help in developing and sustaining a cultural identity. It is completely wrong to make these adolescents give up their citizenship to avoid military service. The laws need to be
changed so that overseas Koreans can retain their citizenship and grow into active citizens, representatives of the new generation.”
Currently, the new Korean government tries to grant Korean American with extraordinary achievement a temporary permit for dual citizenship, so that they can contribute with their skills and talent to Korea. Yet the government refuses to address the issue of military service and rejects any form of dual citizenship for those who have not complied with their obligatory military service.
