hankyoreh

nominee of the newly created Future Creativity and Science Ministry

By Kim Won-chul, staff reporter

Questions are swirling over the nationality of Kim Jeong-hun, the current nominee to head the newly created Future Creativity and Science Ministry. The Hankyoreh has confirmed that Kim regained his South Korean nationality three days before the nomination was announced, meaning he now holds dual citizenship. His wife and children have not yet applied to acquire South Korean citizenship.

An official from the National and Refugee Division of the Ministry of Justice said in a telephone interview, “Kim applied to regain his South Korean nationality on Feb. 8, the day before the Lunar New Year holiday. It was approved on Feb. 14 and will be published in the next government register (gwanbo).”

The process of granting citizenship usually takes 3 months, but in Kim’s case it took only 4 business days. The official said, “According to the Nationality Act, a foreigner who obtains South Korean citizenship must give up his or her foreign citizenship within one year of doing so.”

Speaking in a Feb. 17 telephone interview with the Hankyoreh, a member of the preparation team for the 53-year-old Kim’s personnel hearing said the nominee “currently holds South Korean citizenship, but it is still unclear when he obtained it and whether he gave up his United States citizenship.”

Kim issued a press release late on the night of Feb. 17 that stated, “When applying to regain South Korean citizenship, I signed a document pledging to give up my US citizenship. The process will be ongoing.”

A Seoul native, Kim immigrated to the US in 1975 and obtained citizenship there. Foreign nationals are not legally permitted to hold Cabinet positions. But observers are questioning whether it is appropriate for someone with foreign citizenship to serve in a ministerial post handling various aspects of governance and making decisions on important policy matters.

The State Public Officials Act was amended in February 2008 after then-President-elect Lee Myung-bak declared the previous month that he would change the law to allow foreigners to serve as government officials. Previously, foreigners had been eligible for hire as contracted schoolteachers and researchers. The change permitted them to also hold positions as “public officials with special experience,” with Cabinet posts included among them.

But the act also states that appointments in eight areas can be restricted for people with multiple nationalities. The areas in question involve intelligence, security, confidential matters related to national security, and criminal investigations; aiding and guarding major national figures such as the President and Prime Minister; diplomatic relations, trade negotiations, and international agreements; inter-Korean dialogue, exchange, and cooperation and unification efforts; protections of citizen lives, safety, and property; corporate confidentiality and new technology; and major economic and financial policies and budget matters.

On Jan. 30, Lee Hahn-koo, floor leader for the ruling Saenuri Party (NFP), proposed a full amendment of the law that would put the Future Creativity and Science Ministry in charge of formulating science and technology policy, with duties in areas such as the information and communications industry and nuclear power safety. They would also have responsibilities related to training science and technology workers, developing national informatization plans, and protecting information.

“The Future Creativity and Science Ministry would be in charge of the agency that oversees the country’s science and technology, its research and development, and that handles duties involving technology security and information protection,” said Rep. Park Hong-keun of the Democratic United Party.

“It is not appropriate to nominate someone who has long represented the interests of American companies and American business.”

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