Lee, not Yi: Court rules passports must use official romanization

A court ruled that Korean passport holders must stick with the official romanized spelling of their surname, rejecting a request by a person who wanted to change “Lee” to “Yi” out of personal preference.

A worker organizes newly issued passports at the Suwon City Passport Office in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on July 2, 2025. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

A court ruled that Korean passport holders must stick with the official romanized spelling of their surname, rejecting a request by a person who wanted to change “Lee” to “Yi” out of personal preference.

The Seoul Administrative Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by a plaintiff surnamed Yi seeking to overturn the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ refusal to approve the change, legal insiders said Monday.

Yi had applied to the ministry in May 2024 to change the spelling. Yi argued that the surname had originally been submitted as “Yi” when applying for the first passport, but an official changed it to “Lee” before issuing the document.

“I've used the spelling ‘Yi' since high school, and it has appeared on financial records, English proficiency test certificates, an employee identification card and a military discharge certificate, so I hope the romanized spelling on my passport can be changed to match,” Yi said in court.

The court ruled such changes should be allowed only in limited circumstances.

“It is appropriate to allow changes to romanized names on passports only when there is a strong need to eliminate practical inconveniences that a citizen is experiencing in daily life,” it said.

The court added that allowing such changes broadly could complicate immigration screening and management and weaken trust in Korean passports abroad, potentially making visa issuance or entry screening more difficult.

Judges found that Yi would not face meaningful inconvenience in daily life or economic activity even if the spelling remained “Lee.” Documents such as credit cards, English test certificates and employee IDs could be reissued with corrected spellings if needed, the court said.

Yi acknowledged during the trial that the request did not fall under any of the 10 grounds listed in the Enforcement Decree of the Passport Act that allow correction or changes to romanized names, relying instead on a supplementary provision allowing changes in “other cases deemed necessary.”

The court rejected that argument.

“The plaintiff also states that the request stems not from difficulties in daily life but from a personal belief and preference for the spelling ‘Yi,’” the court said. “It is difficult to interpret the supplementary provision as covering cases where there is no real inconvenience and the request serves only personal satisfaction.”

The court said the ministry’s refusal did not significantly infringe on Yi’s interests and found no abuse of administrative discretion, dismissing the claim.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]