Ruling Party Tells U.S. It "Regrets Restrictions on Legitimate Parliamentary Activities" Over "Chung Cheong-rae Visa Hold"

"There should be no unnecessary misunderstandings between the two countries"

The Democratic Party of Korea said on October 9, regarding Rep. Chung Cheong-rae’s change of schedule for a parliamentary audit after delays in the issuance of his U.S. visa, that it “deeply regrets that legitimate parliamentary activities have been obstructed.”

In a written briefing that day, chief spokesperson Park Sung-joon said, “Rep. Chung’s visa issuance was put on hold ahead of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee’s audit of South Korean diplomatic missions in the United States.” He added, “With his application remaining ‘under review’—neither approved nor denied—Rep. Chung ultimately had to change his schedule to attend parliamentary audits in Europe.”

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jeong Cheong-rae appears deep in thought while listening to party leader Kim Min-seok deliver a speech at the third plenary session of the 439th National Assembly regular session on the 7th of last month. Yonhap News Agency

“Rep. Chung is a four-term senior lawmaker and was the leader of the ruling party,” he said. “He is a lawmaker who has maintained close communication with the United States more consistently than anyone else, including by conducting the committee’s audit of the United States in 2012.” He added, “Restricting even a parliamentary audit by the legislature of an ally is inconsistent with the forward-looking values of the alliance.”

“We hope the diplomatic authorities of South Korea and the United States will move swiftly and proactively to resolve the issue,” he added. “We hope this matter will not create unnecessary misunderstandings that could undermine the strong trust between South Korea and the United States.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.