In order to select Seoul’s 2019 Foreign Honorary Citizens, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will be receiving candidate nominations from June 10 to July 19, 2019.
Seoul’s Foreign Honorary Citizens will be selected from the international residents who have lived in Seoul for more than three consecutive years (or five cumulative years) or, among the foreign guests who have visited Seoul, those who have contributed to improving the Seoul’s status as a city and have been role models to Seoul’s citizens and to other foreign residents.
Nominations can be submitted by heads of public organizations or civic organizations or by solidarity expressed between more than 30 citizens of Seoul in signature form. Nominators can fill out the nomination form that can be downloaded from the official website of the Seoul Metropolitan Government and submit it to the International Relations Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government by July 19, 2019.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has conferred honorary citizenship to 827 foreigners from 97 countries since 1958, including △202 from the US, 45 from Japan, △44 from Germany, △43 from China, and △31 from the UK.
A Foreign Honorary Citizen of Seoul is given opportunities to participate in the administrative affairs of Seoul, such as being appointed as a policy advisor of the Seoul Metropolitan Government or being invited to events organized by the city.
The Honorary Citizens will be selected through a screening process by experts in administration from both inside and outside of the city and with the agreement of the Seoul City Council. The Seoul Honorary Citizenship Ceremony 2019 will be held in autumn during which the selected individuals will receive honorary citizenship.
According to nationality: 827 individuals from 97 countries
(As of June 1, 2019)
Continent | Nationality | Total | Sex | Continent | Nationality | Total | Sex | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(Unit: Person) | Male | Female | (Unit: Person) | Male | Female | ||||||
Africa (41) |
1 | Ghana | 2 | 2 | 0 | Europe (245) |
10 | Belarus | 1 | 1 | 0 |
2 | Nigeria | 6 | 6 | 0 | 11 | Bulgaria | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
3 | South Africa | 5 | 5 | 0 | 12 | Sweden | 6 | 5 | 1 | ||
4 | Lesotho | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 | Switzerland | 4 | 3 | 1 | ||
5 | Senegal | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14 | Scotland | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
6 | Sudan | 11 | 11 | 0 | 15 | Spain | 8 | 5 | 3 | ||
7 | Angola | 3 | 2 | 1 | 16 | Slovakia | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
8 | Ethiopia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 17 | Azerbaijan | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
9 | Chad | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18 | Iceland | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
10 | Côte d’Ivoire | 2 | 2 | 0 | 19 | Ireland | 4 | 3 | 1 | ||
11 | Congo | 3 | 3 | 0 | 20 | Estonia | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
12 | Tanzania | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21 | UK | 31 | 21 | 10 | ||
Asia (204) |
1 | Nepal | 8 | 7 | 1 | 22 | Austria | 5 | 4 | 1 | |
2 | Taiwan | 10 | 10 | 0 | 23 | Ukraine | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
3 | Malaysia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 24 | Italy | 15 | 11 | 4 | ||
4 | Mongolia | 8 | 6 | 2 | 25 | Georgia | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
5 | Bangladesh | 1 | 1 | 0 | 26 | Czech | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
6 | Vietnam | 7 | 7 | 0 | 27 | Turkey | 14 | 13 | 1 | ||
7 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 2 | 28 | Poland | 6 | 5 | 1 | ||
8 | Singapore | 8 | 7 | 1 | 29 | France | 21 | 14 | 7 | ||
9 | Uzbekistan | 7 | 4 | 3 | 30 | Finland | 4 | 3 | 1 | ||
10 | India | 4 | 3 | 1 | 31 | Hungary | 5 | 5 | 0 | ||
11 | Indonesia | 6 | 5 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
12 | Japan | 45 | 36 | 9 | Central and South America (71) |
1 | Guatemala | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
13 | China | 43 | 38 | 5 | 2 | Dominica | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
14 | Kazakhstan | 10 | 9 | 1 | 3 | Mexico | 13 | 10 | 3 | ||
15 | Cambodia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | The Bahamas | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
16 | Kyrgyzstan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | Venezuela | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
17 | Tahiti | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | Belize | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
18 | Thailand | 17 | 14 | 3 | 7 | Bolivia | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
19 | Pakistan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | Brazil | 7 | 5 | 2 | ||
20 | The Philippines | 15 | 12 | 3 | 9 | Argentina | 4 | 2 | 2 | ||
Middle East (21) |
1 | Saudi Arabia | 6 | 6 | 0 | 10 | Ecuador | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
2 | The UAE | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | El Salvador | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
3 | Algeria | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | Honduras | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
4 | Jordan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13 | Uruguay | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
5 | Iraq | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | Chile | 6 | 5 | 1 | ||
6 | Iran | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15 | Costa Rica | 5 | 3 | 2 | ||
7 | Israel | 2 | 1 | 1 | 16 | Colombia | 6 | 5 | 1 | ||
8 | Egypt | 2 | 1 | 1 | 17 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
Europe | 1 | Greece | 9 | 7 | 2 | 18 | Panama | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
2 | Netherlands | 11 | 7 | 4 | 19 | Paraguay | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
3 | Norway | 5 | 3 | 2 | 20 | Peru | 11 | 9 | 2 | ||
4 | Denmark | 9 | 7 | 2 | 21 | Puerto Rico | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
5 | Germany | 44 | 40 | 4 | North America (222) |
1 | US | 202 | 163 | 39 | |
6 | Russia | 13 | 12 | 1 | 2 | Canada | 20 | 14 | 6 | ||
7 | Romania | 3 | 2 | 1 | Oceania (23) |
1 | New Zealand | 10 | 9 | 1 | |
8 | Malta | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Papua New Guinea | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
9 | Belgium | 13 | 7 | 6 | 3 | Australia | 12 | 7 | 5 |
◼ Foreign Honorary Citizenship Qualifications
❍ Foreign residents who have resided in Seoul for more than three consecutive years or five cumulative years, and have contributed to:
❍ improving the status of Seoul as a city at home and abroad; enhancing the culture and welfare; and the economic development of Seoul
※ Note: Only the foreign residents who completed alien registration with the Immigration Bureau of the Republic of Korea (including those who are exempt from alien registration) are eligible.
◼ Nominators
❍ Heads of public organizations or civic organizations
❍ More than 30 citizens of Seoul (all signatures are required)
❍ Period: June 10 (Mon.)-July 19 (Fri.), 2019
❍ By post or in person
(In case of submission by post, the postmark date should be no later than July 19, 2019)
※ Submission via e-mail will be accepted only if the hard copy (original copy) of the nomination form is submitted to the International Relations Division within the submission period
(E-mail: seoulhonorary@seoul.go.kr)
◼ Required Documents
❍ Nomination form (including the signature of the nominators) and photo of nominee
– Nomination form is downloadable here:
http://www.seoul.go.kr/news/news_notice.do#view/290624
◼ Submission
– Address: Person in Charge of Honorary Citizenship, International Relations Division, 8F, Seoul City Hall, 110, Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul (04524)
– Contact ☎ +82-2-2133-5267
Group Photo | Conferring Moment |
---|---|
![]() |
![]() |
Mayor’s Speech | Impressions of the Honorary Citizens’ Representative |
![]() |
![]() |