New guidelines proposed for writing foreign nationals' names

The government has proposed new guidelines for state and municipal offices when writing the names of foreign nationals in South Korea on administrative documents, to improve the convenience of identity verification, the Ministry of Interior and Safety said Wednesday.

Under the new standards, the government proposes that foreigners' names in the Latin alphabet be written as surname followed by given name, in uppercase, with a space between each. If a name in the Latin alphabet is already listed on Korean immigration-related documents, such as one's registration card, that name will be used.

Foreign nationals' names that are written in Hangeul will be written as surnames followed by given names, with no space between them. The ministry informed The Korea Herald that this order of names will be maintained regardless of length.

As for handling middle names, the ministry stated that it is still under review.

"This will apply to all foreigners arriving in Korea (moving forward), enhancing convenience for everyone, whether they are residents or temporary visitors. It will also aid in everyday tasks, such as issuing certificates," said an official at the ministry.

Currently, the methods for indicating the names of foreign nationals in documents issued by different administrative agencies vary, causing inconveniences for foreign residents attempting to verify their identity. For example, the order of surname and given name differs across certificates, and the use of spaces is inconsistent. It has also been challenging to prove when two certificates pertain to the same person if one document displays the name in the Latin alphabet and another in Hangeul.

To enhance verification convenience, the standard will favor using both the Latin alphabet and Hangeul for names. However, if system or policy constraints make this difficult, only one name may be used.

The ministry plans to collect public opinion from August 29 to September 19 on this proposal, details of which can be found on the Citizen Participation Legislation Center website, then finalize and implement the standard regulations.

"After reviewing the various submitted opinions and completing the procedures, the system will be implemented. Therefore, the exact implementation date has not been determined yet," the official said.