Ruling party lawmaker voices regret over US visa rejection

Rep. Jin Sung-joon said Wednesday that his U.S. visa application had been rejected ahead of a planned trip to the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii in early November. The ruling Democratic Party lawmaker, who chairs the parliamentary defense committee, was due to lead a delegation to discuss the South Korea-U.S. alliance and bilateral security cooperation. Jin said the delegation had meetings scheduled with U.S. Pacific Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo and expressed regret over the rejection.

Jin said he had visited the U.S. command in 2014 as a member of the parliamentary committee.

The exact reason for the visa rejection was not known.

The foreign ministry said it was consulting with the U.S. side and that Jin’s application process appeared to be still under way, while noting it could not verify details of individual visa applications.

Published Oct 29, 2026 12:10 am KST

This Oct. 19 file photo shows Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party attending a parliamentary audit session at the military headquarters in Gyeryong, some 145 kilometers south of Seoul. Yonhap

Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday said his application for a U.S. visa for a trip to the U.S. Pacific Command had been rejected, expressing regret over the situation.

Jin, who chairs the parliamentary defense committee, said he was scheduled to lead a parliamentary delegation to the U.S. command in Hawaii in early November to discuss the South Korea-U.S. alliance and ways to strengthen bilateral security cooperation.

"I express strong regret over the U.S. rejection of a visa for the chair of the parliamentary defense committee of the Republic of Korea," he wrote in a Facebook post, sharing what appeared to be a document that showed his application was refused.

Jin said the delegation had meetings scheduled with key figures, including U.S. Pacific Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo, adding the rejection is difficult to understand, given that he had visited the U.S. command in 2014 as a member of the parliamentary committee.

The foreign ministry said it is consulting with the U.S. side on the matter and that Jin's application process appears to be still under way, although noting that it cannot verify the details of individual visa applications.

韩国国会议员晋成俊周三表示，他原计划于11月初前往夏威夷的美国太平洋司令部，但其美国签证申请已被拒签。这位执政党共同民主党议员是国会国防委员会主席，原计划率领代表团与美国太平洋司令部司令塞缪尔·帕帕罗海军上将会面，讨论韩美同盟及双边安全合作。晋成俊表示，代表团已安排与帕帕罗上将举行会晤，并对签证被拒表示遗憾。

金表示，他曾在2014年以国会委员会成员的身份访问过美军司令部。

签证被拒的确切原因尚不清楚。

外交部表示正在与美方协商，金某的签证申请流程似乎仍在进行中，但同时指出无法核实个别签证申请的细节。

发布于2026年10月29日凌晨12:10（韩国标准时间）

这张摄于10月19日的资料照片显示，执政党共同民主党议员晋成俊在位于首尔以南约145公里鸡龙市的军事总部出席国会审计会议。（韩联社）

执政党共同民主党议员金成俊周三表示，他申请前往美国太平洋司令部访问的美国签证被拒，并对此表示遗憾。

担任国会国防委员会主席的金表示，他计划于11月初率领国会代表团前往位于夏威夷的美国司令部，讨论韩美同盟以及加强双边安全合作的方式。

“我对美国拒绝向韩国国会国防委员会主席发放签证表示深切遗憾，”他在Facebook上发帖写道，并分享了一份似乎显示其申请被拒的文件。

金表示，代表团已安排与包括美国太平洋司令部司令塞缪尔·帕帕罗海军上将在内的重要人物会面，并补充说，考虑到他曾在2014年以国会委员会成员的身份访问过美国司令部，这种拒绝令人难以理解。

外交部表示，正在就此事与美方进行磋商，金某的申请程序似乎仍在进行中，但同时指出无法核实个别签证申请的细节。