The box on the left shows the resident register prior to a law revision, in which the name of the foreign spouse is omitted. The law has been revised to indicate the name of the foreign spouse right below that of the Korean spouse, as shown in the box on the right. / Courtesy of Ministry of the Interior and Safety



Resident registers to properly include foreign spouses' names

By You Soo-sun



Foreign spouses will now have their names properly recognized in the resident register, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

This follows a legal revision proclaimed Tuesday mandating the name of a foreign spouse married to a Korean partner be included in the resident register in the same way a Korean spouse is included.

A resident register is a government certificate indicating members constituting a household. It is often requested by employers, schools and sometimes for simple activities such as making a purchase.

Unlike Korean nationals, foreigners need to file a request to include their names in the document. But even upon request, their names have been placed on the very bottom of the form ― in a separate row.

This was criticized for giving the impression the spouse was not part of the family. It also led to a misconception that children born to Korean national and foreigner couples are raised under a single-parent household, according to the ministry.

With the revision, their name will appear right below that of the Korean spouse. However, they must still file a request.

For foreigners, according to the ministry, the document becomes especially relevant when their children attend schools in Korea.

"Many schools ask their students to turn in the certificates at the beginning of the school year," a ministry official told The Korea Times, Tuesday. "A child born to a non-Korean mother, for example, could be falsely seen as being raised by a single dad. Many multicultural families demanded to see the law changed."

After the revised law kicks into effect in six months, the name of the foreign spouse will be placed right below their Korean partner upon request and those of their immediate family members may also be included even if they do not have Korean citizenship.

Requests may be filed by anyone in the household, either at a community center or online at minwon.go.kr.

"The revision is expected to alleviate inconvenience for foreigners married to Koreans," ministry official Yoon Jong-in said. "We will continue with our efforts to provide resident registration services tailored to individuals' needs to improve the wellbeing of citizens."