Two professional hockey players who were born in Canada were granted South Korean citizenship last Tuesday, Yonhap News reports.
With the hopes of fielding a strong ice hockey team in time for the 2018 Olympics hosted by Korea in Pyeongchang, the government has relaxed restrictions on dual citizenships for “qualified” foreigners.
Brian Young, 28, and Michael Swift, 27, were naturalized via an expedited reviewing process that allows multiple citizenships for “talented foreigners, such as chiefs of government agencies, legal institutions and universities as well as leaders in fields of business, sports and science.”
Yonhap said 46 foreigners have obtained South Korean passports under the new law thus far.
In March 2013, Canada-born, former Edmonton Oilers NHL draft pick Brock Radunske was granted Korean citizenship.
