Justice Minister Park Sang-ki gives a certificate of Korean nationality to 6-year-old girl Diana, a granddaughter of the late Korean independence fighter Kim Man-Kyom (1886-1938), at the justice ministry in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, on Aug. 11, 2017. (Yonhap)
As I was browsing through the Stars & Stripes archives I found this interesting nugget that the first German to gain Korean citizenship, Fritz Hohmann did so in 1967 in Yeosu of all places:
December 2, 1967 edition of the Stars & Stripes
I wonder if Mr. Hohmann decided to stay in Korea or not over the long term? Considering that he received citizenship and changed his name to Yongbu Homan it seems he was committed to living his life out in South Korea. I hope everything worked out for the best for him.
This doesn’t seem like too much to ask someone to do to be granted Korean citizenship:
Any foreigner seeking Korean citizenship must be able to sing Korea’s national anthem during a naturalization interview.
The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of the Ministry of Justice, which declined to grant a woman born in China citizenship in 2010, citing she couldn’t sing the national anthem. She also failed two other tests during her interview.
The woman, surnamed Choi, filed a suit with the court, demanding a reversal of the decision.
“We found the interview criteria and the interviewers’ evaluation were fair. Not only did Choi fail to sing the national anthem, she also failed two other tests. Therefore, we find there are no grounds to call the ministry’s decision unfair and illegal,” said a judge. [Korea Times]
It seems that if she wanted Korean citizenship so badly she would take the time to study and learn the anthem.
