There are "suspicions that Chinese nationals can receive government subsidies if they register more than 10 Chinese nationals as household members [in South Korea]," reads part of a Korean-language X post shared on October 31, 2026.
The post includes a screenshot of a separate Threads post shared a day earlier featuring similar claims and purporting that Chinese nationals can "easily obtain South Korean citizenship".
Similar claims circulated online shortly after South Korea's interior and safety ministry announced that changes to regulations governing the resident registration system would take effect on October 29 (archived link).
South Korea's resident registration system is strictly reserved for Korean nationals, who are typically assigned a randomised resident registration number at birth (archived link). Registration details are organised into both individual and household records.
Foreigners may only obtain a resident registration number, which functions as a key tool for authentication and identity verification, upon naturalisation (archived link). Those residing in the country for more than 90 days are otherwise typically required to register under a separate foreign resident registration system.
South Korea's foreign resident population has steadily increased in recent years, reaching a record high of over five percent of the total population in 2025 (archived link).
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