South Korea's government said Sunday all foreigners applying for general naturalization in the country will be required to have permanent residency first.

The Ministry of Justice said it will make a preannouncement of the revision to the Nationality Act on Monday that would link the permanent residency program with obtaining citizenship in the country.

Currently, foreigners who have been domiciled in South Korea for at least five straight years can apply for naturalization, regardless of their visa types. Even if they neither have permanent residency nor qualify for it, they can still apply to become a citizen here as long as they fulfill certain requisites, such as being the legal age of 19. 

The justice ministry said such a system has been abused by those who are willing to prolong their stay without having a proper long-term stay permit.

"There is a need to regulate the way immigrants flow into the country," the ministry said.

According to a government data compiled from 2011 to 2015, an average of 18,893 foreigners applied for South Korean citizenships annually. The ministry said 12,023, on average, got approval from the government.

Among a total of 94,465 people who filed for citizenship between 2011 and 2015, 4,192, or 4.4 percent, were general naturalization applicants. The ministry said about a quarter of those cases seemed to have involved those attempting to abuse the system and stay longer in the country.

The others applied for either simple or special naturalizations, which are granted for those including spouses of South Koreans and foreigners with a talent or specialized skillset, according to the government. (Yonhap)