Jin Sung-jun, the chair of the National Assembly's Defense Committee and a member of the Democratic Party, received his official visa from the U.S. on October 31, alleviating concerns about potential disruptions to his planned visit to the United States. As a result, the committee's visit to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii will proceed as scheduled.
Jin announced on his social media that he received the visa from the U.S. Embassy in South Korea, expressing relief that the U.S. State Department issued the official visa (A-2) for the chair of the National Assembly's Defense Committee.
He added, "I will depart tomorrow afternoon and will thoroughly discuss ways to strengthen security cooperation between our countries and develop a forward-looking alliance, focusing on the national interests of South Korea, with U.S. military leadership, including the Pacific Commander."
With Jin's visa issue resolved, the bipartisan delegation from the National Assembly, consisting of Defense Committee members, will visit Hawaii from November 1 to 5 as originally planned. The delegation, led by Jin, includes Democratic Party member Kim Byeong-joo, People Power Party member Lim Jong-deok, and Reform Party member Cheon Ha-ram. They plan to meet with local U.S. military leaders, including Pacific Commander Samuel Paparo, to discuss security cooperation and alliance development.
Previously, on October 28, Jin revealed that he had been notified of the visa denial by U.S. authorities. At that time, he stated, "This is not just a restriction on an individual's entry but an obstruction of the official legislative activities representing the people of South Korea," expressing strong regret over the U.S. visa denial.
The exact reason for the initial denial of Jin's visa has not been officially confirmed. However, speculation in political circles suggests that his past conviction for violating the National Security Law in 1991, which resulted in a three-year prison sentence and a three-year disqualification (later pardoned in 1995), may have influenced the decision.
Following the initial denial, U.S. authorities reportedly requested additional documentation, including an English translation of the court ruling from Jin's past.
Recently, delays in visa issuance for lawmakers and public officials have sparked controversy. Before Jin, former Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae had to change his schedule for a congressional inspection in the U.S. due to visa delays, and it has been reported that the issuance of visas for some National Intelligence Service employees assigned to the U.S. Embassy has also been postponed.
In response, opposition lawmakers criticized the situation as a "security disaster signaling warning lights for the Korea-U.S. alliance," raising concerns that the recent cooling of Korea-U.S. relations has extended to visa processing.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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