South Korean nationality law
| Citizenship Act | |
|---|---|
| National Assembly | |
| Citation | Act No. 16 |
| Territorial extent | Republic of Korea (includes South Korea and North Korea) |
| Enacted by | Constituent National Assembly |
| Enacted | 20 December 1948 |
| Effective | 20 December 1948 |
| Administered by | Ministry of Justice |
| Amended by | |
| 3 December 1997 (amending the whole law) 18 September 2018 (last amended) | |
| Status: Amended | |
legislature, enacted_by.| Citizenship Act | |
| Hangul | 국적법 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 國籍法 |
| RR | Gukjeokbeop |
| MR | Kukchŏkpŏp |
The South Korean Citizenship Act (Korean: 국적법; Hanja: 國籍法) details the conditions in which an individual is a national of the Republic of Korea (ROK), commonly known as South Korea. Foreign nationals may naturalise after living in the country for at least five years and showing proficiency in the Korean language.
Citizenship of South Korea is granted to qualifying individuals under the South Korean Citizenship Act and its fifteen amendments. Citizenship status reflects the rights, duties, and identity of individuals in relation to the South Korean state.
There are elements of the jus sanguinis principle of citizenship acquisition in South Korean nationality law, as citizenship inheritance is possible for those with a blood relationship to ethnic Koreans. However, the stringency of this standard has been complicated by politics, the effects of globalisation, as well as historical patterns of migration. Maintaining the balance between the supposed homogeneity of South Korean society and the discourse of progress has proven somewhat tenuous. Despite this, the pliability of citizenship policies in recent years seems to indicate a larger trend that welcomes the addition of select foreigners.