By Jeongnam Kim
(Former Senior Presidential Secretary for Education·Culture·Society, World Korean News advisor)
The first specially naturalized Korean was born on March 21, 2012. Yohan, aged 53, director of the International Clinic of Severance Hospital, is the very protagonist. He is the great grandson of Eugene Bell (1868 - 1925), who first stepped on the Korean soil as a missionary toward the end of the old Chum dynasty.
The Justice Department bestowed the Korean citizenship upon him in consideration of the fact that their family has greatly contributed to the nation's advancement in the fields of education, welfare and medical services for four generations. He received the National Award of Moreno in 2005, and this time he was recorded as the first 'specially' naturalized Korean citizen.
According to the official records published on February 8, 1957, a Chinese born on Sandong (phonetic) named Sohn Il-seung was approved to be a Korean citizen. He ran a coalmine in Gangwon Province, and he loved Korea.
He decided on his own volition to become a Korean, for he found it more beneficial as a Korean citizen. There is a large number of Chinese population in Korea, but many of them seek a Korean citizenship. The annual average number of Chinese residents in Korea who became naturalized Korean citizens was no more than 34 until 2000.
However, with the Chinese and Vietnamese girls getting married with Korean bachelor farmers, the trend of Chinese and Viennese seeking the Korean nationality is increasing explosively. kicking up the annual average up to the level of 10,000 since 2001. According to the Justice Department statistics, the number of naturalized Korean citizens passed 110,000 as of 2011.
The surnames of those naturalized citizens also are more than 400. Mongol Kim, Thai Tae, German Yi, Tsushima Yun, Jilin Sa, Chingtao Hu and so forth are registered. The naturalized citizens show the tendency of adopting Korean surnames with their own birthplaces as their origin.
The first politician as a naturalized Korean citizen is Yi Ra, aged 35, a Mongol woman who became a Korean through marriage. She was nominated as the number one proportional representation of Hannara Party and elected as a delegate of the Gyeongido Province in the regional election of June 2, 2010.
And a Filipina Yi Jasmine, 35, was elected as a National Assembly woman recommended by Saenuri Party in the 19th General election as a proportional representation candidate number 17. President Yi Cham, 58, became the first CEO of a public business organization in 2009 as a naturalized citizen. Ha Il, 54, an international lawyer who was naturalized in 1997, was once much loved by the people for his smooth Busan accent on a TV program.
Hosaka Yuji, 56, a professor of Sejong University is a naturalized Korean of Japanese origin, and he is known widely as a famous Dokdo keeper. He runs a homepage titled truthofdokdo.com and invented an application for smart phones.
he Busan University foreign language professor Royalol Kumar, 56, became the 100,000th naturalized Korean citizen in 2011. Pro Volleyball player Hu In-jeong, 38, of Hyundai Capital, is the first naturalized Korean national representative sportsman. Ping-Pong player Dang Ye-seo, 31, is the first Olympic medalist.
Korean citizen, he said: "This is the happiest day in my life. I grew up in Joelle Province, and I find it that I got more than I gave. I am much indebted to my forefathers for I was born in Korea. and I live with the mind of being thankful and returning the favor.
I felt something missing for my nationality, and now finally I am really grateful I am now a Korean." Ever since 1984, he has been looking after the maintenance of a Missionary retreat home on the Wangsiru Peak of Mt. Jiri, and in 1993 he invented a Korean-model ambulance, and paid 26 visits to North Korea, running a project fighting tuberculosis.
