Kangnam officially becomes a South Korean citizen after naturalization test 

Korean-Japanese singer Yasuo Namekawa aka Kangnam has good news for his fans. The idol recently passed the naturalization test, and is now a Korean citizen.

The idol was born in Japan to a Korean mother and a Japanese father. After making his debut in 2011 with the now disbanded group M.I.B., Kangnam went on to become a popular face on Korean variety shows. In 2019, he married retired speed skater Lee Sang Hwa, following which the singer announced his decision to give the test to become a naturalized citizen of South Korea.

On February 26, the idol held a YouTube Live to reveal the results of the test. The final interview for the process took place on February 25.

Kangnam passed the natualization test on his second attempt

The popular singer kicked off the Live broadcast by saying that he still has not looked at the result and will be revealing it live. He said,

“I finished my last naturalization interview test yesterday. I got the result this morning through KakaoTalk, but I didn’t look at it and sent it to the staff instead. I still don’t know the result.”

The singer first explained to fans what the process of naturalization is like, especially during COVID-19.

“Since we were wearing masks and there was glass between us due to COVID-19, I couldn’t hear the interviewer very well. When they asked me what the thing that made the floors warm was, I said it was a boiler, and they burst out laughing. Then they asked about the traditional name and I said it was ondol. The atmosphere at the interview was good. When we were singing the anthem, I was nervous so I rushed through it… Even though I’m a singer.”

Before sharing the results, Kangnam opened up about all the things he would be able to do if he passed the exam.

“I can go to the dong [neighborhood] office and change my name, get insurance, and create a resident registration card. I have many options for my name. I might just leave it as ‘Kang Nam,’ or take my mom’s last name and go with ‘Kwon Kang Nam,’ or take my wife’s last name as ‘Lee Kang Nam,’ or I might change the name ‘Kangnam’ completely.”

With the suspense at an all-time high, the singer finally revealed the results. Upon finding out the that he had passed, Kangnam jubilantly thanked everyone and called his wife and in-laws to share the news.

“Everyone, thank you so much. It’s been three years, but Kangnam is finally naturalized. It feels like my blood is rushing to the floor.”

Kangnam’s production team, who were already aware of the results, then went on to broadcast a congratulatory video with clips of the idol’s family and friends back home, including his mother. His mother congratulated him, saying,

“You’ve passed the naturalization exam. You’ve worked hard and I sincerely congratulate you on becoming Korean. Live well in Korea. You’ve done well.”

Watch the video here:

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Incidentally, the idol had attempted the exam last year in October as well, in which he failed at the first stage. This time, however, the singer applied again with increased preparation and aced it.