They grew up South Korean – then found out they may not be citizens - CNA

A little-known dual nationality rule has left some people from transnational families facing life as foreigners in the country they call home.

People from transnational families in South Korea are discovering they may not actually be citizens due to a little-known provision in South Korea’s nationality law. (Image: CNA)

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Lim Yun Suk & Olivia Chang 10 Sep 2026 10:01AM (Updated: 10 Sep 2026 10:02AM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST SEOUL: Born and raised in South Korea, a 21-year-old man in Suwon had never questioned his nationality.

Now, he faces uncertainty over whether he is still a South Korean citizen.

He is among many people from transnational families in the country whose citizenship has been thrown into doubt due to a little-known provision in South Korea’s nationality law.

Under the law, people who are citizens of both South Korea and another country from birth may, under certain circumstances, retain both nationalities.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less But a South Korean citizen who voluntarily acquires another nationality after birth loses their Korean citizenship at that point. This can include children whose parents apply for a foreign nationality on their behalf.