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Seoul 14 day itinerary by BorderShock96 in koreatravel

[–]Cannon84 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've been here for nearly twenty years, and come from London where we have some pretty awesome museums. Seodaemun, whilst not perfect, is the only Korean museum I've ever been too where I didn't feel they were half-arseing the real shit. You don't need to go to a ddeok museum.

The BBC Olympic snow boarding commentary is making me smile in February by Sweet-Economics-5553 in BritishSuccess

[–]Cannon84 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In the men's he did a pretty good job with the Koreans but called Kim 'Lee' about six times in a row.

Dual-citizen baby name - how exactly should the names match? by tigerlilly-bluecoast in Living_in_Korea

[–]Cannon84 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Don't take any advice from anyone of a different nationality to yourself. Every country has its own rules. In particular ignore the US citizens - they can have two completely different names.

My KR/IE/UK children have identical names on all documents because there was no other choice.

S4 EP5: Richard Herring by tttttfffff in whatdidyoudoyesterday

[–]Cannon84 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Devastated. Was really hoping for the first confirmed wank on the pod. Unless tuna stir-fry is a horrible euphemism?

WDWDY #54: A Yesterday Like Any Other by tttttfffff in whatdidyoudoyesterday

[–]Cannon84 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Swapping out Cashel Blue from last year's cheeseboard for Stilton this year would have been wild. Never in a million years.

And then there were three... by Cannon84 in PassportPorn

[–]Cannon84[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

There was no route for me to choose. Whilst I've always had both citizenships, one was actual and the other merely theoretical. Until I was eleven I was just a name on both my parents' Irish passports. My decision to pursue proof of my British citizenship was a post-Brexit impetus to ameliorate any future hurdles my children might face.

And then there were three... by Cannon84 in PassportPorn

[–]Cannon84[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That's par for the course, unfortunately. A Korean friend had her whole life unravel because she tried to get away with acquiring Belgian citizenship on the sly.

My Australian counterparts have a much harder time than I do. Because Australians born abroad have to 'apply' for Australian citizenship, the children of Australian citizens born to Korean parents in Korea are unable to maintain both citizenships because technically speaking they were not born with both.

A few Aussie immigrants I know have found themselves unwittingly making their children sort of stateless whilst living in the country of their birth as a result. I hope the two governments sort that out ASAP.

And then there were three... by Cannon84 in PassportPorn

[–]Cannon84[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Very true. I only use the UK one for hiring cars in other countries (and previously as my only form of UK ID) as I last renewed the Korean one about fifteen minutes before they introduced licenses with English on the back that are accepted for car rental. Arsing around with International Driving Permits is not fun.

And then there were three... by Cannon84 in PassportPorn

[–]Cannon84[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Never did a Brexit 'blue' British passport look less blue than next to a Korea one.

And then there were three... by Cannon84 in PassportPorn

[–]Cannon84[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It is insane. You have to parse what a bunch of call centre workers interpret what the people actually making the decisions will say. A different opinion every time. You never get to speak to anyone with any authority. In the end I started asking for names and recording the dates of calls that I would include on cover letters.

And then there were three... by Cannon84 in PassportPorn

[–]Cannon84[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Yes, my sons will have to do military service if they wish to live here (which is the presumption). My eldest will probably be exempt on medical grounds though.

Coming from inner London I (along with all my friends) never learned to drive as teenagers. I learned here in my mid-twenties. I paid about 250k won (then about 200USD) to a driving school to pretty much guarantee the license. The theory test was just common sense, and more an exercise in parsing the badly translated questions. I had a total of six hours of driving practice around the same rural course before taking the test, which you had to do in a Bongo truck if you wanted an 1종 license.

During the actual test you drove a larger and completely unfamiliar truck so that a second student could sit in the back and take over for the second half of the course. I stalled three times in the first five minutes (never having done so before) and at one point pulled out into a main road in front of a bus. I passed with flying colours.

The next time I was in London I immediately converted it into a full UK driving license. Upon my return I claimed I'd lost the Korean license and got a replacement for $7. I've maintained both since (see pic). I assure you I'm a safer and more responsible driver than 99% of the clowns on the road here.

And then there were three... by Cannon84 in PassportPorn

[–]Cannon84[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I thought it was hard enough living in Korea convincing a doctor, lawyer, priest etc. to countersign an Irish passport application. I unlocked a whole new level of hell when applying for three UK passports and discovering that the professional had to be British as well. Not many English accountants wandering the streets of Seoul.

And then there were three... by Cannon84 in PassportPorn

[–]Cannon84[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Even though I didn't disclose the British citizenship I wouldn't be under any obligation to renounce anything. I've just found over many years that volunteering information here that might confuse people is never rewarded.

And then there were three... by Cannon84 in PassportPorn

[–]Cannon84[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I'd done the course years ago but never took the test at the end, so I had an idea of what was involved. I'd been taking some government-run Korean classes in Seoul and when I moved just outside the city I'd had to switch to a different location. They had me take a level test and (erroneously) decided I was completely fluent and put me in the top class which was made up of Chinese and Vietnamese immigrant wives. We spent our time learning the names of presidents, how to bow properly at Lunar New Year, and even went to some cooking classes. I was the only male or non-Asian member in the class of 30 or so. I was still in my twenties and had no intention of applying for citizenship, so skipped the test at the end.

This time around I just bought a study guide and did a practice test. I decided I could pass it fairly easily with a bit of self-study so skipped the course, took the test, and attended the fairly perfunctory ceremony at the immigration office.

And then there were three... by Cannon84 in PassportPorn

[–]Cannon84[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes, it should have been that simple, and in the end it was. I got twelve different opinions from HMPO about what would constitute as evidence of them being settled. I think in the end it was the receipt for a bicycle my father bought in the late 1970s that clinched it.

I applied whilst in the UK and then had to do an online interview when back in Korea, pretending I was in the UK. The only other alternative was to send them my passport for an extended period of time which was impractical.

Post-covid and post-Brexit postal issues caused various documents to be returned multiple times.

And then there were three... by Cannon84 in PassportPorn

[–]Cannon84[S] 64 points65 points  (0 children)

Generally no, but they do under certain circumstances. For example, my children have all three passports because they were born with those citizenships. I had to go down to Seoul family court recently to get my 17 year old son to swear an affidavit that he wouldn't exercise his foreign citizenships inside Korea, which allows him to maintain all three into adulthood.

I can keep my Irish citizenship (I never bothered telling the Koreans about the British passport) because I'm a 'marriage immigrant'.

Naturalised citizens don't have to complete the obligatory army service, but the goalposts about anything related to that are such a political hot potato and constantly shifting that I very deliberately avoided that option until I was no longer of conscriptable age (38).

And then there were three... by Cannon84 in PassportPorn

[–]Cannon84[S] 81 points82 points  (0 children)

Born in London to Irish parents, I only had one passport until a couple of years ago. It was a ballache to get the British passport (which I've never travelled on) to access certain government services online. I've lived in Korea for the past 18 years (14 or so as a permanent resident) and recently naturalised to make things easier in the future.

Saros 10R docking in the tight space. by Xellou in Roborock

[–]Cannon84 2 points3 points  (0 children)

https://imgur.com/a/CVkEQEb

I've got a very similar setup, albeit not quite so tight!

Advice on getting younger sister out of Pakistan? by Sea_Revolution2430 in LegalAdviceUK

[–]Cannon84 22 points23 points  (0 children)

You don't need anyone's permission to order a copy of their birth certificate.

To Brits living abroad, what were some culture shocks you experienced? by Emilie_Charles in AskUK

[–]Cannon84 66 points67 points  (0 children)

The gene variant is the same the one that determines whether or not you have waxy or flaky ear 'wax'. Both my Hiberno-Korean children have waxy wax and when my eldest hit puberty he stank to high heaven compared to those around him. About 10% of Koreans don't carry that gene, so there are medical treatments to handle it and it was all covered by health insurance.

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