Foreign Ministry on Ruling Party Lawmaker Chung Cheongrae's Visa Issue: "An Individual Matter... Inappropriate to Link to South Korea-U.S. Relations"

Chung Cheongrae, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea and a member of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, will be unable to participate in a parliamentary audit in the United States due to a visa issue. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on October 9, “We do not believe it is appropriate to link an individual visa matter to the overall relationship between South Korea and the United States.” The remark was seen as an effort to prevent the incident from fueling concerns about a “rift in the South Korea-U.S. alliance.”

Chung Cheongrae, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker. Yonhap News Agency

A ministry official said that day, “The two countries are communicating and cooperating closely on a range of issues,” adding that the ministry did not believe it was appropriate to link the visa matter to the broader bilateral relationship. The official explained, however, that “information related to individual visa applications and review results is treated as confidential under U.S. domestic law and procedures,” and that “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is unable to confirm the relevant facts.”

All ruling and opposition lawmakers on the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee who were assigned to the Americas team’s audit, except Chung, received their visas without difficulty. Asked why Chung alone had yet to receive a visa even just before his scheduled departure, the official said, “The U.S. side does not disclose details related to specific reviews,” adding, “We are unable to confirm them.”

Chung had planned to depart on October 11 with other committee members for an integrated on-site audit of South Korean diplomatic missions in the Americas, scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., on October 12 (local time). However, he has yet to receive a visa from the U.S. side, preventing him from taking part in the trip. He is now unable to participate in the entire audit schedule, which covers the United States, Brazil, Colombia and Canada over 12 days and 9 nights. Chung, who was initially assigned to the Americas team, is reportedly set to join the audit of South Korean diplomatic missions in Europe after being reassigned to the Europe team.

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