Citizenship of South Korea is granted to qualifying individuals under the South Korean Nationality Act and its fifteen amendments. Citizenship status reflects the rights, duties, and identity of individuals in relation to the South Korean state. There are elements of the jus sanguinis principle of citizenship acquisition in South Korean nationality law, as citizenship inheritance is possible for those with a blood relationship to ethnic Koreans. However, the stringency of this standard has been complicated by politics, the effects of globalization, as well as historical patterns of migration. Maintaining the balance between the supposed homogeneity of South Korean society and the discourse of progress has proven somewhat tenuous. Despite this, the pliability of citizenship policies in recent years seems to indicate a larger trend that welcomes the addition of select foreigners. The unique history of Korea, including its division and colonization, have impacted the context in which citizenship is interpreted. Because of this, the year that the South Korean state was established has figured prominently in determining the legitimacy of South Korean nationality, as there was no such thing until 1948. South Korean identity has been formed in reaction to violence and occupation, and the legislative approach to determining who is worthy of belonging has reflected this. Those who are included and excluded from the benefits of citizenship reflect not just the relations between people living in South Korea, but also the South Korean state's relationship to outsiders more broadly. Terminology Citizens, or members of the South Korean state, are often referred to through the discourse of kungmin. This term was inherited by Koreans from the Japanese, whose concept of kokumin is a translation of the German staatsvolk. Kokumin is characterized by philosophies of loyalty to the state and its leader as opposed to sovereignty over a state by an ethnic group (as in the German staatsvolk). Because of its etymological roots, there has been a persistent tension between notions of duty and rights for kungmin. Citizenship (siminkwon) and nationality (kukchok) may be referred to interchangeably in the South Korean context due to a blurriness between these concepts both in legislation and culture. History 1948-1997: Post-Republic of Korea From the point that the South Korean state was established in 1948 until the late 1990s, the primary means of acquiring South Korean citizenship was based on paternal lineage—any child born to a Korean father was granted citizenship. This tradition is based