The US Visa Denial has sparked diplomatic friction after South Korea’s National Defense Committee Chairman, Jin Sung-joon of the Democratic Party, was refused an A-2 diplomatic visa. Jin and a bipartisan delegation of defense committee members had planned to visit the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, but learned on October 28 that the visa applications were rejected.
Bipartisan Defense Delegation Blocked by US Visa Refusal
Voicing his strong protest via social media, Jin stated, “I express deep regret over the United States’ refusal to issue a visa to the Chairman of the National Defense Committee of the Republic of Korea.” The delegation, organized to strengthen bilateral security cooperation and discuss alliance development strategies, was scheduled to visit the US military command from November 1 through 5.
The planned delegation included Jin as the head, along with Democratic Party floor secretary Kim Byung-joo, People Power Party floor secretary Lim Chong-duk, and New Reform Party lawmaker Chun Ha-ram. Meetings with key officials, including US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo, had already been finalized before the rejection occurred.
Impact on South Korea-US Parliamentary Diplomacy
Criticizing the decision, Jin emphasized that denying a visa to the defense committee chairman is not merely a restriction on an individual’s travel, but a direct obstruction of official parliamentary activities representing the South Korean public. He noted that the decision is particularly difficult to understand given that he had previously visited the same US command in March 2014 as a member of the 19th National Assembly’s Defense Committee.
Jin also referenced a similar incident involving Democratic lawmaker Jung Chung-rae of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, who was previously denied a US visa during a parliamentary audit. Concluding his statement, he urged the US to take forward-looking measures, expressing regret over repeated restrictions on South Korea’s sovereign parliamentary activities and alliance-building efforts.
