As corny as it may sound, I believe the title is well-fitted to my situation in preparing for Korea. It was truly a blessing to receive the Freeman Study Abroad Scholarship, but I had to jump through TONS & TONS of hoops in order to be able to go. If you're part Korean and if one of your parents were born in Korea, please read this well.
I prepared all of my required documents, but upon arriving to the Korean Consulate to apply for my visa on Pali Hwy, I was immediately turned away. I had my (1) passport, (2) copy of my bank statement with more than $5000, (3) filled out D-2 Visa application, and this list goes on; yet, they still turned me away.
The one thing that was blocking me from my visa was my mother. It wasn't my mother directly blocking me like a defensive lineman, but a piece of paper: her certificate of citizenship. My mom was born in Seoul, South Korea and became a US Citizen with the process of naturalization through my grandparents. Upon becoming a citizen, you will receive a certificate authenticating your citizenship. However, she lost this certificate while in the process of moving homes. In order to get a replacement, you not only have to pay a $555 fee, but also have to wait 12-16 months. Without it, you can't obtain a passport, renew your driver's license, nor can you leave the country!
With only 3 weeks left before my departure, I scrambled. I didn't have that kind of time to wait for her replacement certificate. So, I spent countless nights studying alternatives on what I could do. I got freaked out because there have been cases where US-born children have indirectly inherited Korean citizenship because their parent(s) forgot to renounce their citizenship. I asked my mom if she renounce her citizenship and she replied with "I don't remember." And if I were to be indirectly a Korean citizen (dual citizenship), I would've had to renounce it at 18 years old. If not, then I would be barred from the opportunity to renounce until after completing the mandatory 2-year military service in Korea. I think my Korean is on par to a 2 year old, so to serve another country's military with a language I am not familiar with is a scary thought in my opinion. I figure that's the reason why the consulate turned away my first application. They needed concrete proof that my mom was a US citizen at the time of my birth.
I finally stumbled across a forum where someone detailing a similar situation they were in. It sure wasn't as simple as I'm describe it now, but essentially, had to file for the Form N-565 for my mom, go to the USCIS office with her, and ask for a letter of verification. Not everyone knows about how the letter of verification can act as the "certificate" while waiting for the replacement.
I was also working at Enterprise at the time and my shifts started at 5 am, so you could only imagine how miserable I was. Now I understand that not everyone will be in my situation, but nevertheless, I hope you understand that you can only prepare so much. Things will come at you unexpectedly and all you can do is be adaptable to the new situation at hand. Good luck in your preparations!
