[ryouboard]

Originally Posted by Hushx

I'm not even a Korean citizen - I have dual citizenship to the US (naturalized) and Argentina (born). Wouldn't that make me exempt or something?


EDIT:

Ok so fuck, after asking my parents, I've gotten some unfortunate news. Although my parents became naturalized US citizens back in 1999, when I was about 11, they never formally renounced their Korean citizenship. Because I'm their son, by extension, even though I've never lived in South Korea, in the government's point of view, I am still considered a Korean citizen, even if its not on paper. If I had wanted to renounced my "Korean citizenship," I had to have done it before I turned 18 - too late, as I will be 20 this coming July.

Here was one story that got me worrying:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/..._korean08.html

Same circumstances for me - even though I was born in Argentina and moved to the US when I was 5, my grandfather registered me in my family's hojuk, or the Family Census Registry. I am a little better off since I attend Korean language school classes growing up and live in Los Angeles, a city with a huge Korean population, but even then, my Korean is still conversational at best; to give you an idea, last night I was watching Die Hard with my Dad - I had difficulty explaining the story to him, and its not that complicated of a movie. I speak Konglish basically (mix of Korean+English, like how some Mexican-Americans speak Spanglish or Tex-Mex, since their Spanish is not perfect).

SON OF A BITCH. I was planning on visiting Korea either through a study abroad program or just visiting my relatives for a year after college. With this nagging at the back of my mind however, I am beginning to have second thoughts.

I'm in the same boat. Born and raised in America. Parents were born in Korea. Father put my name in the hojok. Suddenly, I get a letter saying I need to serve in the Korean army. The letter was sent to my home in L.A. WTF?

Anyway, I had plans to start up a business which would require travel to Korea, and I was thinking of teaching English in Korea as well (with English being the rage now). But it looks like all my plans with Korea are nixed at least until I turn 35. How stupid.

I have friends and cousins that served in the Korean army, so I know it ain't that big of a deal really. But given the choice, I would much rather serve four years in the American army than the two years in the Korean army. I'm a fucking American. I shouldn't be forced into a foreign country's army because my father made a poor decision and wrote my name down on some paper over twenty years ago. Korean laws and policies are so retarded.

And if they had sent me or my family a notice before I became of legal age to choose my nationality and citizenship, my family and I would've renounced my Korean citizenship years ago. My parents didn't immigrate to this country and live and raise me here so that I can be forced into the Korean army. Fuck that.