While reporting in Silicon Valley, I often meet Korean Americans who settled in the United States after following their parents. Mr. A is one of them. He obtained U.S. citizenship after coming to America with his diplomat father, remained in Silicon Valley, and now works at a Big Tech company. While the move was his parents' decision, whether to return to Korea or stay is his own choice. Should their sense of national identity be questioned because of this?
Similar thoughts came to mind while watching the confirmation hearing of Shin Hyun-song, who was inaugurated as governor of the Bank of Korea (BOK) last month. He, too, began his life abroad following his expatriate father. Shin's father is Shin Chul-kyu, former president of Hyundai Corporation. In articles from more than 40 years ago, the elder Shin said he hoped his son would grow up to become a Korean scholar and sent him editorials from Korean newspapers. His father's influence appears to have played a significant role in Shin's decision not to renounce his Korean citizenship and to complete his military service. In an article, Shin said his dream was to contribute to the development of his homeland.
During the rigorous vetting process, Shin was labeled a "black-haired foreigner" due to his long overseas life, the foreign citizenship of his spouse, eldest son and eldest daughter, his daughter's address falsification, and his large holdings of U.K. government bonds. Based on his resume alone, including his role as head of the monetary and economic department at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), he was more than qualified to lead the BOK. Yet questions arose over his patriotism. His predecessor, former Governor Rhee Chang-yong, stepped in to dismiss the concerns, saying, "His patriotism will be greater than the assets he holds." Still, Shin was branded a disqualified candidate lacking patriotism because of his long stay abroad and his family's citizenship status. He also became the first BOK governor to fail to pass the confirmation hearing on the day it was held. Had the National Assembly been dominated by the opposition or had it been late in the presidential term, he might not have survived the process.
The citizenship status of a candidate or their family members can be an important factor in vetting senior government officials. But labeling someone as having a "problematic national identity" or lacking patriotism simply because they lived abroad for a long time is arbitrary. Under the State Public Officials Act and other laws, appointing foreigners and dual citizens is not illegal.
We have already lost talent once because of arbitrary standards on national identity. That was the case of Kim Jong-hoon, former president of Bell Labs, who was nominated as the first minister of the newly established Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning in 2014 under the Park Geun-hye administration. Kim, who earned the title of the youngest and first outsider president of Bell Labs, which has produced 11 Nobel laureates, drew attention as a figure who could transform Korea's industrial ecosystem. But what tripped him up, as a "1.5-generation immigrant," was also the question of national identity. He gave up his position at Bell Labs, but what greeted him was the cynical label of a "black-haired foreigner with poor Korean." The fact that he was a U.S. citizen who had served as a U.S. military officer and provided advisory work for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) buried his success story, and his promise to renounce U.S. citizenship was of no use. There was no proper debate over what he had advised the CIA on or what problems might arise if he became minister. After withdrawing his nomination, Kim left with the words, "I couldn't accomplish anything big, but I hope something good comes out of this through me." Victor Cha, Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and a Korean Peninsula expert, lamented at the time that Kim was a political victim. Am I alone in thinking that if Kim had become minister then, Korea's preparation for the artificial intelligence (AI) industry might have come sooner?
The number of Korean Americans in the United States has surpassed 2 million. The standing of Koreans has risen high enough to produce a World Bank (WB) president and heads of global private equity firms, yet human exchanges between the Korean American community and Korea remain stagnant. With a slightly more open perspective, this could serve as an opportunity to elevate Korea's AI and financial industries into the ranks of advanced economies. For those willing to renounce their citizenship to serve in public office, they should at least be given the chance to share what kind of national identity they hold. Someday, Mr. A, too, may follow his father back home.
