Image to help understand the article
South Korean lawmaker Jin Sung-joon said Oct. 28 that he had not received a U.S. visa needed for an official visit to U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii, prompting criticism from lawmakers across the political spectrum and renewed debate over relations between the two allies.
Jin, a member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea who chairs the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, said he had applied for an A-2 diplomatic visa to join fellow lawmakers on a visit scheduled for Nov. 1-5. He expressed strong regret over the failure to issue the visa, arguing that the decision undermined mutual respect and trust at the foundation of the U.S.-South Korea alliance.
A planned visit focused on security cooperation
The delegation was scheduled to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral security cooperation and advance the alliance. Its members were Jin, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo, conservative People Power Party lawmaker Lim Jong-deuk and Reform Party lawmaker Chun Ha-ram. Jin said meetings with senior officials, including the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, had already been confirmed.
Jin emphasized that the trip was an official parliamentary activity, not a personal visit. He said he had traveled to U.S. Pacific Command in March 2014 as a member of the National Assembly's 19th Defense Committee, making the current visa situation particularly difficult for him to understand.
According to Jin, U.S. officials requested court rulings covering a previous case, from the original trial through the final appeal. An English translation of the requested documents was underway, he said.
Visa dispute draws political criticism
The dispute follows a separate visa-related delay involving lawmaker Chung Cheong-rae, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. Jin cited that case as another instance in which U.S. visa processing had disrupted parliamentary work, and called on Washington to take a more constructive approach.
Cho Kuk Innovation Party leader Shin Jang-sik also criticized the U.S. decision, saying it showed disregard for South Korea's legislature and risked damaging mutual trust between the allies. He urged the visa issue to be resolved quickly and called on South Korea's Foreign Ministry to protest and pursue active diplomatic negotiations.
Lee Jun-seok, a Reform Party lawmaker, criticized the situation in a Facebook post on Oct. 28, saying South Korea's standing within the alliance was being made a laughingstock. Lee also raised Jin's past conviction under South Korea's National Security Act. Jin was prosecuted over related allegations while serving in the military and was sentenced in 1991 to three years in prison and three years of suspension of civil rights.
Online attention intensifies
Videos discussing the visa dispute circulated online on Oct. 28 as news coverage focused on Jin's objections, the requested court documents and the political debate over his past. Among the videos identified that day, a Yonhap News TV report had recorded 4,362 views, while a video from Kang Shin-up TV had reached 10,303 views.
The combination of the visa controversy and competing political reactions helped drive searches for Jin's name. The central diplomatic question remains unresolved in the account provided: Jin says he has not received the visa for the planned visit, while the English translation of the court documents requested by U.S. officials is still in progress.
Comments
Post a Comment