"Drunk Driving Hinders 'Nationality Restoration'... Court Rules 'Denial Justified'"

Court: "Drunk driving is a serious danger... Doubtful whether there was an attitude of respecting the legal system"

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] A court ruling has stated that even if a person has no other criminal record and has completed military service, they cannot regain nationality if they have a history of drunk driving.

According to the legal community on the 6th, the Seoul Administrative Court Administrative Division 2 (Presiding Judge Lee Jeong-min) recently ruled against Mr. A, a Canadian national, who filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Justice seeking to cancel the refusal of permission to restore his nationality.

Mr. A was born to Korean parents and went to study in Canada in 1998. After acquiring Canadian nationality in December 2008, he applied for permission to restore his Korean nationality. However, the Ministry of Justice denied the restoration on the grounds of "improper conduct."

Although Mr. A had fulfilled his military service obligations, he had a prior record of a 3 million won fine for drunk driving in 2018. Dissatisfied with the decision, Mr. A filed an administrative lawsuit.

In court, Mr. A’s side argued, "There is no reason for improper conduct, and the infringement on personal rights is significant as I cannot exercise voting rights while residing in Korea."

However, the court did not accept Mr. A’s claims. The bench stated, "Drunk driving is a violation that poses a significant risk to the lives and safety of ordinary citizens, raising doubts about whether Mr. A respects the Korean legal system."

Furthermore, the court judged that Mr. A failed to maintain proper conduct and behavior, noting that he continued to use a passport issued to Korean nationals even after acquiring Canadian nationality, which was seen as obstructing residency management duties.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.