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More than 310,000 people have agreed to the Blue House petition against the amendment to the'Nationality Act' that allows children of foreigners with permanent residency in Korea to easily acquire Korean citizenship. In particular, there is growing criticism that people from certain countries will benefit, but the Ministry of Justice said that there are many misunderstandings about the revised bill.



This is Hong Young-jae.



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article was posted on the Blue House National Petition bulletin board a month ago saying that it opposes the amendment to the Nationality Act.



Regarding the contents of the bill that simplifies the procedure for obtaining Korean citizenship for children of foreigners with permanent residency, the petitioner argued that many foreigners with permanent residency already enjoy considerable rights.



In particular, news was reported that Chinese compatriots benefited from the amendment, and so far, 310,000 people have agreed to the petition against the amendment to the Nationality Act.



The Ministry of Justice actively clarified.



The claim that preferential treatment is given only to people from certain countries is a misunderstanding.



Rather, it would have the effect of reducing the identity confusion of foreign children born in Korea and reducing social costs in the future.



[Son So-young / Head of Nationality Division, Ministry of Justice: People from Taiwan who have been living in Korea for the second generation, Korean-Russians, Koreans from Goryeo, and Uzbekistan have some connection with their pedigree, so it is appropriate to consider them first.]



Under the current law, minors are required to acquire Korean nationality together with their parents, but it is said that the fundamental purpose of the amendment is that it broadens the range of options for minors who have been blocked from obtaining single nationality due to parental circumstances.



In addition, he explained that even dual citizens should bear the same obligations in response to criticism of avoiding military service obligations or easily enjoying health insurance benefits.



The Ministry of Justice believes that 3,900 new Koreans will be able to acquire Korean citizenship due to the revision of the Nationality Act, and plans to collect opinions and prepare a final draft by the 7th of next month.



(Video coverage: Seo Jin-ho, Video editing: Hwang Ji-young)