going to Korea - will I be stuck there?

wslee00 · #1 05-16-2007, 11:22 AM

OK - so here's the deal. I'm going to Korea - the non-communist one - for vacation in July for 2 weeks. So I talk to my parents about my trip and they mention that I can't go b/c supposedly I have dual citizenship (Korea and USA).

Korea has this mandatory 3 year stint in the army for all Korean citizens and they tell me that they may not let me back out of the country if I go in there. I talked to a couple of people about this and they said that it should be fine for 2 weeks - including the Korean consulate. Only if you stay there for more than 2-3 months will you have issues.

However, my parents are still freaked out - so just wondering - anyone have any experience with this type of situation? Is there any chance I may be gone for 3 years if I take this trip?

bigbootch · #2 05-16-2007, 11:27 AM

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OK - so here's the deal. I'm going to Korea - the non-communist one - for vacation in July for 2 weeks. So I talk to my parents about my trip and they mention that I can't go b/c supposedly I have dual citizenship (Korea and USA).

Korea has this mandatory 3 year stint in the army for all Korean citizens and they tell me that they may not let me back out of the country if I go in there. I talked to a couple of people about this and they said that it should be fine for 2 weeks - including the Korean consulate. Only if you stay there for more than 2-3 months will you have issues.

However, my parents are still freaked out - so just wondering - anyone have any experience with this type of situation? Is there any chance I may be gone for 3 years if I take this trip?

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I was also in your situation (dual citizenship), and yeah what your parents say is true... It's easy to relinquish the Korean citizenship, however, you just have to fill out a form and mail it in. Well, that is, unless you want to hold on to the Korean citizenship for one reason or other, in that case you're out of luck.

wslee00 · #3 05-16-2007, 11:31 AM

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you just have to fill out a form and mail it in

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Can I get this form online or do I have to go to the Korean consulate office?

pokerprose · #4 05-16-2007, 11:42 AM

Korea is a fun place to visit, probably worth ditching the citizenship, unless you want to join the army at some point, because it's probably a place you'll want to visit (especially because you're part korean)

DeezNuts · #5 05-16-2007, 11:43 AM

I'm a naturalized American citizen that was born in Korea. I have been back multiple times in the past 10 years for 2-5 weeks and nothing has ever happened to me.

Except getting really really drunk.

J.A.Sucker · #6 05-16-2007, 12:17 PM

I dunno what happens in Korea, but in Russia this can be a potential problem. Of course, if you end up going to the Korean army, if you have any kind of education, you'll probably just end up chain smoking, drinking soju, and chasing skirt for 3 years, all while doing some basic task. I know a couple of guys who basically did this and they tried to intercept N. Korean communications. It was pretty cush. Doesn't sound so bad to me.

bigbootch · #7 05-16-2007, 12:36 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
you just have to fill out a form and mail it in

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Can I get this form online or do I have to go to the Korean consulate office?

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In my case (I live in Chicago), I called the Chicago office of the Korean consulate (or whatever it is called), and they mailed me the form. Then I filled it out, signed it, and mailed it back to them. A couple weeks later, they mailed me an official certificate saying that I've relinquished my Korean citizenship.

fuzzwonder · #8 05-16-2007, 01:34 PM

learn hand to hand combat so you don't get your ass handed to you on the first day of basic field training.

Dale Dough · #9 05-16-2007, 01:47 PM

If you just show them your American passport, will they even know you're a Korean citizen? I realize it's highly unlikely, but even if they do have some kind of database, is it actually coordinated with the US? That is, will they be able to prove that you're not an American who happens to have the same birthday and name as one of their citizens? Just out of curiosity, as obviously that's be a pretty stupid gamble to take.

Also, that'd be a pretty dick move by the consulate if they told you it's OK, and then you get shipped off to the army [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

punkass · #10 05-16-2007, 02:35 PM

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Also, that'd be a pretty dick move by the consulate if they told you it's OK, and then you get shipped off to the army

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Yes it would, but if the chance is non-zero, I would definitely want to make sure. I was born in Korea, but my parents moved here when I was 6 months old. I'm still a Korean citizen, and eventually I'll naturalize in the US. But right now, I have no passport because I can't get a Korean passport since I "broke the law" by side-stepping the military requirement. Apparently my parents could have submitted a form when I was younger for me to be excused from the army. So if I step foot in Korea, me = army.

no Korea for me.