Recently, there has been an increase in nationality recovery applications from overseas Koreans, prompting the government to implement a focused processing period to shorten review times. A dedicated organization will also be established to handle nationality applications from foreign nationals.
The Justice Ministry announced on August 12 that it will operate a three-month concentrated processing period for nationality recovery applications from overseas Koreans starting this month and continuing through October.
Nationality recovery is the process by which foreign nationals who were once citizens of South Korea can regain their nationality with the approval of the Minister of Justice. Over the past five years, the number of nationality recovery applications has been on the rise, with an average review time of 13 months before approval.
The Immigration and Foreign Policy Bureau of the Justice Ministry aims to process a total of 3,973 cases during this concentrated period, which is more than four times the average daily processing rate, reducing the average review time from 13 months to 9 months.
This initiative is expected to allow overseas Koreans to recover their nationality more quickly, facilitating their settlement in South Korea and access to various administrative services.
According to the Justice Ministry, the number of nationality recovery applications has increased from 3,069 in 2021 to 4,710 in 2022, 5,009 in 2023, 5,485 in 2024, and 5,082 in 2025. Last year, the largest number of nationality recoveries by nationality was from the United States, with 2,586 cases, followed by Canada with 656, Australia with 133, Japan with 131, and New Zealand with 118.
Additionally, the Immigration and Foreign Policy Bureau is working to establish a dedicated nationality review organization, called the 'Nationality Review Office,' to respond to the increasing number of foreign nationals seeking nationality and to actively attract talent. The establishment of this office is expected to lead to a more efficient nationality review process, a stricter nationality review system, reduced processing times, and enhanced expertise in nationality matters.
Minister Jeong Seong-ho stated, "We will continue to improve the review system to expedite the naturalization and recovery of South Korean nationality and strive to establish a dedicated nationality review organization to implement a swift and fair immigration policy service that can be felt by both domestic and foreign nationals."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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