59 Children of Diplomats Hold Dual Citizenship… 'Zero' Men Chose South Korean Nationality
According to recent data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it has been confirmed that a total of 59 adult children of incumbent diplomats hold dual citizenship. They possess both South Korean nationality and a foreign nationality.
Investigation results show that among the 59 children of diplomats with dual citizenship, not a single man chose South Korean nationality and renounced his foreign nationality. This suggests that male children subject to military service are showing a cautious attitude toward choosing South Korean nationality.
Under current law, men with dual citizenship must fulfill their military service obligations to maintain their South Korean nationality. If they choose to retain their foreign nationality without fulfilling military service, their South Korean nationality is automatically forfeited.
Regarding these results, some are pointing out a perceived lack of responsibility toward military service obligations as children of public officials. The issue of the nationality of diplomats' children has been a persistent controversy concerning the morality of the public service sector.
The government maintains the position that transparent management of the nationality and military service issues of public officials' children, meeting the expectations of the public, is necessary moving forward. Attention is focused on how these statistics will influence the culture of military service fulfillment among the children of public officials in the future.