How Korea’s special citizenship for outstanding foreign talent works
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0 Naturalized citizens attend a national ceremony during a citizenship certificate presentation at Daegu Catholic University’s Hyosung Campus in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, April 23, 2019. Newsis
Korea offers a special route to citizenship for foreigners with exceptional achievements in fields ranging from science and technology to business, arts and sports.
Since the system was introduced in 2011, a total of 458 people have acquired Korean citizenship through special naturalization or nationality restoration for outstanding talent, according to Ministry of Justice data obtained by The Korea Times.
The figure includes 203 foreigners granted special naturalization and 255 former Korean nationals whose citizenship was restored as of October this year. The number of recipients reached 62 in 2023, 54 in 2024 and 51 last year. Another 30 acquired citizenship in the first 10 months of 2026.
2 pathways
Special naturalization is available to foreigners whose abilities and achievements are considered likely to benefit Korea. Nationality restoration, meanwhile, allows former Korean citizens who acquired foreign nationality to regain Korean citizenship if they meet the same outstanding-talent criteria.
Unlike naturalization applicants, recipients under the outstanding-talent system can retain their previous nationality rather than renounce it.
“Those who acquire Korean nationality through special naturalization or nationality restoration for outstanding talent may retain dual nationality by pledging not to exercise their foreign nationality while in Korea,” a justice ministry official said.
Who qualifies
The requirements vary by profession. Eligible applicants include university professors and specialists in advanced technologies. Former heads of state, Nobel Prize laureates and winners of other internationally recognized awards may also qualify.
In academia, applicants can qualify with a least one year of experience as an associate professor or professor at a four-year university, provided they meet the relevant publication requirements. Researchers at universities, public research institutions and corporate laboratories are assessed under separate criteria covering employment history and academic output.
Those working in artificial intelligence (AI), system semiconductors, biotechnology or future vehicles generally need at least two years of research or development experience. They must also work for a Korean company or research institute, or have a confirmed job offer from one.
Foreign nationals of Korean descent are subject to less stringent experience requirements and may be exempt from the domestic employment requirement in certain circumstances.
Business applicants may qualify through executive experience at major companies, export records or investment and job creation in Korea. Artists and athletes are assessed on their professional achievements, including results in major international competitions. Certain categories also have minimum income requirements tied to Korea’s gross national income per capita.
Vietnamese-born violinist Tran Huu Quoc became the first foreigner to acquire Korean citizenship through the outstanding talent system when it launched in 2011. While academics make up the largest share of recipients, the number surged in 2016 as athletes naturalized ahead of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Earlier this year, Mosab Kaseem, a professor of nano technology and advanced materials engineering at Sejong University, was granted special naturalization in April in recognition of his research in advanced materials. Among the most recent recipients are Mirzaie Mohammad, an Iranian-born physicist at the Institute for Basic Science, and Oh Hee, a Yale University mathematics professor who regained Korean nationality, who both acquired citizenship in July.
Process
Applicants undergo interviews conducted by relevant government agencies before their cases are reviewed by the Nationality Deliberation Committee, which is chaired by the vice justice minister and consists of seven government members and 22 civilian members.
The justice minister makes the final decision on naturalization or nationality restoration, after which approved applicants take an oath of allegiance and receive certificates of nationality.
