[2024 National Audit] 1 in 10 Give Up Citizenship to Avoid Military Enlistment

Analysis of National Defense Committee Member Hwang Ui's National Military Service Agency Audit Data
Over 19,600 Renunciations of Citizenship Since 2020

Over the past four years, 19,607 men have renounced their South Korean nationality to avoid military enlistment. This amounts to an annual figure of 4,000 to 6,000 individuals.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 11th, Hwang Hee, a member of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea, analyzed data from the Military Manpower Administration and found that from 2020 to the end of August this year, a total of 19,607 individuals subject to military service had renounced their nationality.

Discharge from military service due to nationality renunciation is divided into 'loss of nationality' and 'renunciation of nationality.' Loss of nationality refers to Korean nationals who voluntarily acquire foreign nationality while residing abroad long-term for reasons such as studying abroad, or dual nationals who do not choose Korean nationality. Renunciation of nationality refers to congenital dual nationals who give up their South Korean nationality.

Among all nationality renunciants, 13,682 (69.8%) lost their nationality by choosing a foreign nationality. Renunciants of nationality numbered 5,925 (30.2%). Considering that the number of active duty enlistees this year is 200,000, this means that one out of every ten military service candidates is excluded from enlistment due to nationality renunciation.

Among these, 13,682 cases involved loss of nationality after acquiring foreign nationality due to long-term residence such as studying abroad. Considering that long-term study abroad is possible only with the financial means and social status of the parents, it is interpreted that class differences based on wealth have influenced military service obligations.

The most commonly acquired nationalities after renouncing South Korean nationality were the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, in that order. The number of those who acquired U.S. nationality was 7,568, accounting for 55.3% of the total. This was followed by Japan with 2,349 (17.2%), Canada 1,922 (14%), Australia 752 (5.5%), and New Zealand 423 (3.1%).

On the other hand, according to the status of enlistment applications from overseas migrants such as foreign permanent residents, a total of 2,947 people applied from 2020 to the end of August this year. The top countries were China (557), the United States (539), Vietnam (278), Japan (194), and Indonesia (155).

Representative Hwang Hee emphasized, “For stable military personnel management, it is important to improve the replenishment rate of military manpower resources, but it is also urgent to establish strict standards for nationality renunciants, who could misuse this as a means of evading military service.”