The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it is difficult to link the delay in issuing a U.S. visa for Representative Jung Chung-rae of the Democratic Party of Korea to South Korea-U.S. relations.

A Foreign Ministry official said today, "South Korea and the United States are closely communicating and cooperating on various pending issues, and we believe it is not appropriate to link an individual visa matter to overall South Korea-U.S. relations."

The official also explained, "Details regarding individual visa applications and review outcomes are matters treated as confidential under U.S. domestic laws and procedures," adding, "Please understand that it is difficult for the Foreign Ministry to confirm the related facts."

Regarding the reason for the delay, the official added, "Details concerning specific screening are matters the U.S. side does not disclose, making it difficult to confirm them."

Jung, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, was assigned to the committee's Americas audit team responsible for inspecting South Korean diplomatic missions in the Americas, including the South Korean Embassy in the United States, and was scheduled to visit destinations including the U.S. on October 11 – 12.

However, unlike other ruling and opposition lawmakers on the Americas audit team, Jung had not been issued a U.S. visa as of yesterday and changed his assignment to the European audit team.

He has a history of being imprisoned on charges of violating the National Security Act after leading a sit-in occupation of the U.S. ambassador's residence in 1989.

The People Power Party issued a commentary stating, "It is difficult to dispel doubts about whether this situation was influenced not only by Rep. Jung's past anti-American activities, but also by the government and ruling party's diplomatic failure toward the United States and cracks in the trust of the South Korea-U.S. alliance."

The Democratic Party urged the Foreign Ministry to resolve the visa issue, saying, "Restricting even an allied parliament's government audit does not align with the forward-looking values of the alliance," and adding, "We hope the diplomatic authorities of South Korea and the United States will step forward to resolve the issue."

(Photo: Yonhap News)