Lee Sang-deok, Commissioner of the Overseas Koreans Agency, expressed his intention to dispatch consular officers to the Los Angeles area and lower the age of multiple nationalities.
Lee, who visited the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles on February 3 to discuss support measures for Korean Americans affected by the LA wildfires, said, “We will dispatch consular officers overseas to major diplomatic offices such as Los Angeles as soon as possible.”
This year, the budget of the Overseas Koreans Agency is 107 billion won (approximately $74,002,351), which is about 100 million won more than last year. Commissioner Lee plans to actively collect the major issues of Koreans in the Los Angeles area by dispatching representatives through the efficient execution of the budget.
Commissioner Lee also said that the issue of lowering the age of allowing multiple nationalities, which the Korean community has been consistently demanding, is also “being proactively reviewed.”
However, he said that it is not easy to consult with relevant organizations such as the Ministry of Justice and to form a consensus of public opinion.
“The Overseas Koreans Agency is considering lowering the current age of 65 or younger and is consulting with relevant organizations such as the Ministry of Justice,” said Lee. ”Relevant organizations, academia, and public opinion are divided into pros and cons, and it is necessary to form a consensus and make adjustments within the country.”
In recent days, the Trump administration’s policy of deporting undocumented immigrants has led to the deportation of Korean nationals who have committed serious crimes.
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that it is “receiving reports from the U.S. Embassy and each regional consulate and will continue to seek ways to deal with the situation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
On the other hand, the ministry was reluctant to comment on the political situation in South Korea, such as the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
This is the first time Lee, who was appointed as the second head of the agency last year, has visited the Americas.
Lee said, “We are worried and concerned about the damage caused by the LA wildfires in Korea,” and “Through this visit, the Overseas Koreans Agency will closely cooperate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss necessary support measures.”
He added, “I want to visit LA, where the largest number of overseas Koreans live, and formally greet them, but as the situation here is so serious, I will discuss how the Overseas Koreans Agency can help. Once the situation in LA stabilizes, I plan to hold a meeting with the Korean Americans.”
This visit by Lee is to check on the site of the 23rd World Korean Business Convention to be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta in April.
Prior to his visit to Atlanta, he met with the Korean American Federation of LA and the chairmen of the Democratic Peace Advisory Council to learn about the damage caused to Korean Americans by the recent large wildfires.
Meanwhile, at the Overseas Korean Policy Academic Forum hosted by the Overseas Korean Affairs Office in December last year, academics said that the age at which dual citizenship is allowed should be lowered from the current 65 to 40 to have a greater effect.
It is analyzed that if the age at which dual citizenship is allowed is lowered to 40, the number of economically active people will increase, and the social and economic contribution will be significantly higher.
However, in a recent poll of Koreans and overseas Koreans released by the Ministry of Justice, 65% of Koreans opposed lowering the age limit, citing the financial burden on Korean social welfare and the possibility of people renouncing their nationality to avoid military service.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
