“Aiming for citizenship? That’s tacky” Jin-kyung Paik hits back at UK birth controversy

Creator 'Honorary Brit' Jin-kyung Paik has directly refuted speculations from some netizens that her plan to give birth in the UK is motivated by a desire to acquire citizenship. Given that she lives in London with her British husband, she maintains that giving birth locally is a natural choice and finds the attempt to link it to citizenship issues absurd.

On the 12th, Paik posted a lengthy message on her SNS regarding the controversy surrounding her childbirth plans in the UK.

“Why is my giving birth in the UK such a big issue?” she questioned, adding, “My husband is British and I reside in London.”

As some individuals linked her giving birth in the UK to the child's acquisition of citizenship, she also clarified the legal facts. “What is with the people saying I'm doing this to get British citizenship?” Paik asked, stating, “Even if you give birth on British soil, one of the parents must be British for citizenship to be granted. Jus soli is an American thing.”

She continued to express her displeasure, saying, “Saying I'm doing this to get citizenship for a 'half Korean, half British' baby is truly so strange and tacky.”

The controversy began when Paik announced her pregnancy. On the 11th, while appearing on 'Shin-Yeoseong' of the YouTube channel 'Rolling Thunder,' she revealed she is approaching her fifth month of pregnancy. She shared that the baby is a girl, the fetus's nickname is 'Cheese,' and the expected due date is December 8.

In particular, Paik stated that she plans to give birth in the UK rather than Korea. While noting that the postpartum care center culture is not as developed in the UK as it is in Korea, she made it clear that she intends to give birth where her life is currently based.

Following this, speculations arose in online communities that her insistence on giving birth in the UK was intended to secure the child's citizenship. As these views spread, Paik took to SNS to refute them.

In fact, considering Paik's circumstances, her decision to give birth in the UK is not an unusual choice. She is married to a British man and lives in London, intending to manage her pregnancy and childbirth within her current living environment. Furthermore, the assumption that citizenship is automatically acquired simply by being born in the UK, regardless of the parents' nationality, does not accurately reflect the current British nationality system.

Paik married Rohan Ned, an actor active in the UK, in 2023. Since then, she has gained fame through her YouTube channel 'Honorary Brit,' producing content about life in the UK, cultural differences, and her local experiences.

As a creator with approximately 580,000 subscribers, interest in her private life has naturally increased, but this case highlights how excessive it can be to interpret a celebrity's pregnancy and childbirth plans through the lens of nationality or citizenship.

Ultimately, Paik's point is simple: there is no reason to frame her personal choice to give birth where she lives with her husband as a calculated move for citizenship.