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Korean citizens have numerous options available to entertain them, such as K-Pop, dramas, etc. You can probably attribute this to the massive market for services in Korea, which even outdoes America. Gaming is also a huge industry in Korea, with numerous huge tournaments being held in Seoul every year. Almost everywhere you go, you can find a PC Bang, which is basically an internet cafe where you can pay to play as long as you want.

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South Korea follows a traditional republican/democratic style of government, while North Korea follows a dictatorship/fascist regime. South Korea uses a government similar to the U.S with the 3 branches of government, while North Korea operates as a single-party state. North Korea is also very oppressive of independent media, political oppostion, trade unions, etc. Whereas South Korea grants citizens all of their civil rights and a lot of freedoms. South Korean government officials usually serve 5 years, whereas North Korean officials usually dont leave office until death.

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south korea north korea flag - Google Search

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One of the laws in South Korea is its nationality policy. This law defines "who is a Korean citizen" and any other people who have been naturalized. Naturalization refers to getting your Korean citizenship as a non-native Korean. Citizens are also guranteed basic civil rights, such as freedoms of speech,press, petition and assembly, as well as the right to education and health. They also are forbidden from speaking about the North Korean regime in a positive manner.

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South Korea has had an industrial boom in the last decade, making their economy bigger, more stable and more attractive to foreigners. What was once a country with very few migrants has become a hotspot for foreigners because of their opportunity for jobs and newer immigration laws. It's increasingly easier to get a work visa in South Korea, which means it's easier to meet the requirements for the citizenship process.
Whether you're hoping to form a business, find a new job or just start a new way of life, if you're thinking of taking the plunge and obtaining a South Korean Citizenship this guide will walk you through the most important steps and points for doing so.

What's the difference between residence and citizenship?

There's no way to sugar coat it - obtaining a South Korean citizenship is pretty difficult. As such, it can seem easier to stay in the country on a permanent resident visa instead. That being said, there are a number of restrictions and inconveniences that come with holding and Alien Registration Certificate that can make the long and tedious citizenship application process worthwhile.

For instance, once you obtain a long-term visa in South Korea, any time you make a change in your lifestyle you'll need to update your Registration Certificate with District Immigration within 14 days of the change. That can be a new job, a change of apartment, etc.

Additionally, Korean authorities won't acknowledge dependent permits to non-married partners or same sex couples, though this hurdle remains true for citizenship applications as well.

Most importantly, long-term visa residents are required to get a Multiple Re-Entry Permit every time they arrive in or wish to depart South Korea in order to ensure their ability to return after their trip. Citizens, conversely, can travel freely on a South Korean passport.

Ways to obtain a South Korean citizenship

In order to become a citizen of South Korea, most foreigners go through the naturalization process. There are three ways you can become a naturalized citizen of South Korea.

The first is called general naturalization. This type of citizenship only applies if you've never obtained Korean nationality in the past and if you have no family relation to a Korean. In order to qualify for general naturalization you must have lived in South Korea for more than five years consecutively. This means that you have to have a Korean address on file, an Alien Registration Card and the ability to work in South Korea. You must be a legal adult over 20 years old, you must be of good conduct (if you have a criminal record you'll be ineligible for citizenship), you must have the ability to maintain a living on your own (or you may be a dependent member of a family who can help you maintain a living) and you must have the same basic knowledge as a South Korean national. This knowledge includes an understanding of the Korean language, customs and culture.

Citizenship Through Parents

The second type of naturalized citizenship is simple naturalization. This type of citizenship is generally used by foreigners who are of South Korean descent of some sort. In order to qualify for simple naturalization you must meet all the requirements of general naturalization (including requirements for good conduct, basic cultural knowledge and an ability to maintain a living), however, you need only to have lived in South Korea for three consecutive years. The biggest requirement for simple naturalization is that you must either have a parent who was a South Korean citizen in the past, have been born in South Korea with either parent also born in South Korea, be an adopted child of a South Korean citizen (if you were not of legal adult age at the time of adoption), or the foreign spouse of a South Korean citizen. If you're married to a South Korean citizen and are seeking citizenship for yourself, you must have maintained your marriage status for the past two or more years.

Other Types of Naturalization

The third and final type of naturalization is called special naturalization. There are many different types of special naturalization and all of these have different requirements and needs.

Can I Have a Dual Citizenship?

Most of the time you'll be required to forfeit your foreign citizenship in order to obtain a South Korean citizenship. As recently as 2011, the South Korean government decided to grant a limited number of dual citizenships. It's possible to obtain a dual citizenship if:

You've married a South Korean citizen

Have what's considered to be "outstanding talent"

Are naturalized as a citizen

You were born in South Korea or abroad with one South Korean parent

You were adopted from South Korea and sent overseas

What's The Application Process?

The application process for South Korean citizenship is extensive. Your completed application must include the following:

An application form (this form is presented in Korean, not English)

One color photo of yourself

Your Alien Registration Card

A written statement for citizenship application

A statement of identity

A copy of your statement of identity (this one with a color photo attached)

A copy of foreign family registration or citizenship papers (if applying for simple or special naturalization)

A document outlining any dependents you may have (including children or parents)

Proof of financial stability

To prove your financial stability you may include a certificate from your bank showing you have a balance of more than KRW 30,000,000, a certificate of employment or a document from the Attorney General proving you're a dependent. You must also include two letters of reference from someone with a professional title. This can be a member of a government, a professor, a lawyer, an executive or manager, the chief of a department or similar. You must also pay a fee of KRW 100,000 (approximately USD 88) for your application to be processed. If you're funding the citizenship process from your account back home, use TransferWise to get the real exchange rate and cut out expensive international bank transfer fees.

Once you've submitted all the necessary documents to the South Korean immigration office, you'll have a written examination. This exam will test your knowledge of South Korean history, politics, culture and customs. This test is a 20 question multiple choice test. Following the multiple choice exam you'll be interviewed in order to test your proficiency in the language, as well as your attitude towards Korea and liberal democracy. In order to pass this section you must be at about level four on TOPIK - the Korean proficiency exam. This test is notoriously difficult - you even have to sing the first four verses of South Korea's national anthem - without reading the lyrics off of a page. Of the 20,000 people who apply for South Korean citizenship annually, only 60% or so pass.

Are there any other ways to become a citizen?

If you're looking into South Korean citizenship for business reasons, you may apply for a D-8 Investor Visa. If you can invest KRW 300 million (approximately USD 282,000) into your own small business in South Korea you may be eligible. The South Korean government requires proof that the business is viable, however, when you renew the visa.

It may have been South Korea's rich culture, thriving economy or kind people that attracted it to you in the first place, but no matter why you're there it's important to know your options when it comes to obtaining citizenship in South Korea. Good luck on becoming a citizen!

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How to obtain South Korean citizenship: What you need to know

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South Korea has had an industrial boom in the last decade, making their economy bigger, more stable and more attractive to foreigners. What was once a country with very few migrants has become a hotspot for foreigners because of their opportunity for jobs and newer immigration laws.

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The Process(es) of electing leaders in South Korea 

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The Process(es) of electing leaders in South Korea 

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Every 5 years, or 1 presidential term in South Korea, citizens go to vote for their choice of President and the National Assembly. Currently, President Moon Jae-in and his National Assembly are 1 year into their 5 year term. There are 300 members on the National Assembly. When running for elections, candidates normally fall under the "Democratic Party of Korea" or the "Liberty Korea Party". You are allowed to vote at the universal age of 19, or the Korean age of 21.

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Since the 2017 presidential elections, South Korea has two main parties, the left-leaning Democratic Party of Korea and the conservative Liberty Korea Party. In addition, there are currently three significant minor parties: the centrist People's Party, the liberal-conservative Bareun Party and the progressive Justice Party.

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South Koreans are guranteed the basic rights to freedom of speech, press, petition, and assembly. However, they aren't allowed to speak in favor of the North Korean regime. Such speech or actions are punishable by the National Security Law, but are rare. Interestingly, discrimination against LGBTQ+ people still exists in South Korea, and is especially discouraged in the military. Women are also discriminated in stigmatized frequently, due to it going unchallenged and even encouraged by the government.

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The Republic of Korea (South Korea) is a democracy that generally respects basic civil and political liberties. However, it maintains unreasonable restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and assembly. Discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons, women, racial and ethnic minorities, foreigners-especially refugees and migrants-and people with HIV remains a major problem.

South Korea faced one of its most tumultuous political years in recent memory when on December 9, 2016, the National Assembly voted to impeach President Park Geun-Hye. Charges against her included abuse of power, bribery, and extortion, and leaking classified government information. The action followed massive public protests.

On March 10, 2017, the Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment. Park was arrested on March 30 and was awaiting trial at time of writing. Moon Jae-In, a former human rights lawyer and the leader of the left-leaning Democratic Party of Korea, won the presidency on May 9, 2017, with 41 percent of the vote.

In May, South Korea was reviewed by the United Nations Committee against Torture, which expressed concern about detention conditions and excessive use of force.

Freedom of Expression

Although South Korea has a free press and a lively civil society, successive South Korean governments and large corporations have at various times used draconian criminal defamation laws, the national security law, and restrictive interpretations of other laws to create a chilling effect that limits critical scrutiny of the government and corporations.

Criminal defamation law allows for up to seven years' imprisonment and a fine. The law focuses solely on whether what was said or written was in the public interest and does not allow for truth as a complete defense. Repeal of the criminal defamation law will be one of key tests of the new Moon administration's commitment to freedom of expression.

The National Security Law criminalizes any positive comments about North Korea or the dissemination of anything that the government classifies as North Korean "propaganda." The two Koreas are technically still at war, as the Korean War ended with only a ceasefire in 1953.

The law imposes significant restrictions on the freedom of South Koreans to create and join political associations by imposing severe criminal penalties on anyone who joins or induces others to join an "anti-government organization," a term not clearly defined in law. The law also imposes criminal penalties on anyone who "constitutes or joins an organization aimed at propagating, inciting, praising, or acting in concert with" an anti-government organization.

Lee Jin-Young, owner of the online library "Labour Books," was detained on January 5, 2017, for violating the National Security Law after distributing materials that authorities claimed, "benefit the enemy [referring to North Korea]." Seoul District Court declared him not guilty on July 20 and ordered him released from detention.

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Education ministry officials in Seoul stated in February 2017 that South Korea's new national sex education curriculum would not mention homosexuality. This follows the development in 2015 of a plan to train district education officials around the country on new sex education guidelines that do not mention sexual minorities.

A campaign by the military to identify and oust gay and bisexual male soldiers and officers started in April 2017. After a video of two servicemen having sex was posted on the internet by one of the men, the army investigated, interrogated, and compelled suspected gay and bisexual soldiers to admit their activities. Military investigators seized the mobile phones of more than 50 soldiers to identify other gay and bisexual servicemen.

The 1962 Military Criminal Act (Article 92-6) punishes sexual acts between soldiers with up to two years in prison under a "disgraceful conduct" clause, regardless of consent and whether they have sex in or outside military facilities. On May 24, a military court sentenced an army captain to six months in prison for having consensual sex with another man. In October, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) expressed concern at the criminalization of same-sex acts in the Military Criminal Act and recommended that the government abrogate the relevant provision in the law.

During a presidential debate in April, current president, Moon Jae-In, stated that he "opposed" homosexuality and marriage equality. However, he also later said he opposed "discrimination based on homosexuality."

Freedom of Association for Workers

The government has not ratified the International Labour Organization's fundamental conventions on freedom of association (C.87), and on the right to organize and collectively bargain (C.98). Government officials are prohibited by law from exercising their right to form a union.

The South Korean government refuses to legally recognize the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (KTU) and the Korean Government Employees Union (KGEU). The KTU was stripped of its legal status in October 2013 because it allows fired teachers to remain as members, while the KGEU has been repeatedly denied the ability to legally register as a union.

The Trade Union and Labour Relations Adjustment Act interferes with freedom of association by requiring a union to expel workers from membership if they are dismissed, even in cases where workers are fired for undertaking legal trade union activity.

The law also interferes with freedom of association by barring those who are not members from standing for trade union office. In October, the CESCR committee raised concerns about lack of protections for workers, including sub-contracted and dispatched labor, and those considered independent contractors, like truck drivers or construction equipment operators.

Women's Rights

Discrimination against women is widespread in South Korea. Gender-based stereotypes concerning the role of women in the family and society are common-including widespread social stigma and discrimination against unmarried mothers-and are often unchallenged or even encouraged by the government.

A relatively small proportion of women occupy decision-making positions in the business, political and public sectors, and there is a 37 percent wage gap between men and women. The Economist magazine's "Glass Ceiling Index," which evaluates women's higher education, women in managerial positions, and number of female members in parliament, gives ROK the lowest score among countries that belong to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with 25 points out of 100.

South Korea's laws on abortion are punitive and harmful to women and girls. Abortion is considered a crime punishably by up to one year in prison or fines up to 2 million won (US$1,820). Healthcare workers who provide abortions can face up to two years in prison. Exceptions are permitted only in cases of rape or incest, if the parents are blood or matrimonial relatives that cannot marry legally, if continuing the pregnancy is likely to jeopardize the pregnant woman' health, or when the pregnant woman or her spouse has one of several hereditary disorders or communicable diseases that are designated by government decree.

Married women must have their spouse's permission to get an abortion. All abortions are prohibited after 24 weeks of pregnancy. In October, over 200,000 South Koreans signed a petition calling for legalization of abortion, which the government had pledged to respond to within a month. In November, the government's response ducked the issue by saying more research was needed.

Refugees

South Korea is one of the few countries in Asia to be a party to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. However, it continues to reject the vast majority of non-North Korean asylum seekers entering the country.

Since 1994, the government granted refugee status to approximately 2.5 percent of non-North Korean asylum applicants it screened. Between January and October 2017, 7,291 applied for refugee status; the government accepted just 96 cases, or approximately 1.31 percent of applications. North Koreans do not apply for asylum through this process, they are granted South Koran citizenship through the Promotion and Resettlement Support Act for North Korean Refugees.

While humanitarian visas are provided to some failed non-North Korean asylum seekers, most applicants are rejected outright. In 2017, the government gave 290 humanitarian visas. Asylum seekers complained about widespread discrimination and lack of basic social assistance.

HIV Testing and Foreigners

In an important victory, on July 3, 2017, President Moon's new government abolished mandatory HIV testing for foreign teachers and overseas students seeking to study in South Korea-a policy that had contradicted guidance from the World Health Organization and other United Nations agencies.

Policy on North Korean Human Rights

South Korea's "North Korean Human Rights Act" came into effect on September 4, 2016. The law requires that the government establish a foundation to support research on the rights situation in North Korea, develop a strategy to promote rights in the North, fund groups working on issues of North Korean human rights, and create the Center for North Korean Human Rights Records under the Ministry of Unification (MOU) to do research and act as an archive of North Korean human rights violations for possible use in future prosecutions.

The MOU created the database center and developed a required three-year plan of action that "consistently seeks to offer humanitarian assistance regardless of political situations and will simultaneously make efforts to improve North Korea's human rights record." However, at time of writing, the foundation had not yet been established.

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World Report 2018: Rights Trends in South Korea

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The Republic of Korea (South Korea) is a democracy that generally respects basic civil and political liberties. However, it maintains unreasonable restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and assembly. Discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons, women, racial and ethnic minorities, foreigners-especially refugees and migrants-and

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South Korea follows a Republican type of government, which entails giving the citizens of Korea a certain degree of power, and the ability to elect representatives. They follow the same type of government structure as the United States, which is the 3 different branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. Most of their government operates at a national level, with President Moon Jae-in being at the top of the national assembly, then Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, etc. They also follow a similar checks and balances policy.Their Constitution also determines how their government is structured.

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The National Assembly Building of South Korea. Editorial credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com.

The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic with three principal branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary. South Korea has a centralized government that primarily operates at the national level. The head of the government is the president. The highest member of the national assembly is the president, followed by the prime minister and then the ministers. The judiciary and executive branches operate majorly at the national level. The constitution determines the structure of the government.

The Executive Branch Of The Government

The president is the head of the executive branch of the national assembly. He or she is directly elected by the people and serves for a term of five years. After the term, he or she is not legible for a second term in service. He or she is the only elected member of the executive. They have the power to declare a state of emergency or war as long as the national assembly approves it. They are the Head of state and the national assembly and also the Commander-In-Chief of the armed forces of South Korea. Members of the executive are liable for impeachment by the national assembly in case of misconduct of the office. It consists of various ministries and independent government agencies.

Ministries Of South Korea

South Korea has seventeen ministers who are appointed by the president. The prime minister heads the departments, and all the ministers report directly to him. The ministries have affiliate ministries which report to the prime minister and the minister in charge.

Independent Agencies

The executive also comprises of independent agencies. Some of the agencies report to the president as some report to the prime minister. The representatives of these ministries can assume the position of the president apart from the prime minister.

The Legislative Branch Of The Government

The legislature is made up of the national assembly which has a total of 300 members. 244 members are elected from the various constituencies and 56 through proportional representation. The members of the national assembly serve for a term of four years and by-elections are held should a member be unable to serve the full term. Its primary functions are to pass and amend laws of the country, to audit the national budget and procedures of administration, to ratify treaties and to approve state appointments. It has the mandate to impeach high officials. It has a committee of seventeen members who must first deliberate on complicated policy matters and bills before they reach the floor.

The Judiciary Of South Korea

The judiciary branch is made up of the supreme courts, and other tribunals distributed all over the country. The president appoints the chief justice upon consent of the national assembly. The other judges are appointed by the president but upon the suggestion of the chief justice. The judges are liable to serve for a term of six years. All the judges must pass through a two-year legal training in the Judicial and Training Institute. The Supreme Court heads the judiciary and is the final court of appeal according to the Korean law. The constitutional court only deals with matters concerning the constitution review and impeachments.

South Korea is a multi-party state. Elections take place every five years to elect the President and the members of the national assembly. The National Election Commission oversees the elections. It has local governments that are granted autonomy and have their executive and legislative branches. However, autonomy does not extend to the judiciary and the independent agencies. The three branches of the government operate under the system of balance and checks in a way that each branch's operation is checked by the members of the other branches.

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What Type Of Government Does South Korea Have?

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The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic with three principal branches of government, the executive, legislative, and judicial.