US visa issuance delay emerges as political wrangling over alliance

Rep. Jin Sung-joon received a U.S. visa a day before a parliamentary committee delegation was due to leave for the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii. The delay prompted rival parties to dispute whether the case reflected strain in the Korea-U.S. alliance: the People Power Party said it showed eroded trust, while the Democratic Party of Korea accused it of politicizing the issue. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the matter as an individual case tied to past behavior and said it would be addressed bilaterally.

Jin said Wednesday that he had received a visa refusal notice and regretted it because his planned trip was official and intended to include meetings with U.S. government and military officials.

The exact reason for the visa denial was unknown, although some observers assumed it was related to Jin’s violation of the National Security Law in the 1980s.

Former DPK leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae also experienced a visa delay last month and changed his parliamentary inspection itinerary to Europe.

PPP spokesperson Park Sung-hoon said Jin had to submit an English translation of a past National Security Act conviction and a criminal record check before receiving entry permission.

Rubio made his remarks Saturday after meeting Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, who had said the previous week that he would discuss the visa issue with Rubio.

Published Nov 1, 2026 3:13 pm KST

Updated Nov 1, 2026 5:12 pm KST

Lawmaker's visa issued 1 day before departure

National Assembly National Defense Committee Chairman Jin Sung-joon delivers opening remarks during a parliamentary audit at the 1st Fighter Wing in Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, Oct. 15. Yonhap

The delay of U.S. visa issuance for a ruling party lawmaker has become a topic of debate between rival parties over whether it is a sign of growing friction in the Korea-U.S. alliance.

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) called the incident a clear sign of eroded trust within the alliance.

"It is a symbolic moment that clearly exposes the widening rift in the Korea-U.S. alliance and the total breakdown of trust between the two countries,” Rep. Park Sung-hoon, senior spokesperson for the PPP, said in a statement Saturday.

“It is an unprecedented diplomatic embarrassment and a national disgrace that the chairman of Korea's parliamentary defense committee was required to submit an English translation of a past National Security Act conviction and a criminal record check to the U.S., our ally, before finally receiving entry permission,” Park wrote.

Park's statement came after Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the chairman of the Assembly's National Defense Committee, announced that his visa was issued belatedly, a day before the committee's planned departure for the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii.

Jin said Wednesday that he received a visa refusal notice and expressed regret, saying his trip was not personal but official, aimed at meeting government and military officials in the U.S.

The exact reason for the denial was unknown, but some observers assumed that it was in relation to the lawmaker’s 1980s violation of the National Security Law, which is common among former pro-democracy protesters.

Jin's was the second such case, as former DPK leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae also had visa delays last month, eventually forcing him to change his parliamentary inspection itinerary to Europe. Jung was involved in anti-U.S. activities in the 1980s.

"Jin may board the plane to Hawaii as if nothing happened, but it does not remove the current shaky state of the alliance," Park wrote.

The DPK pushed back against the claims, accusing the PPP of politicizing the issue rather than supporting parliamentary duties.

"When legitimate parliamentary activities have been hindered, how can the PPP attack their own fellow lawmaker? The PPP has no interest in protecting the national interest," Rep. Lee Ju-hee, floor spokesperson for the DPK, said in a statement Saturday, urging the PPP to apologize for politicizing the matter.

DPK spokesperson Shin Hyun-young also said the PPP "should refrain from making remarks that would harm the Korea-U.S. alliance or trying to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington.”

As to the visa issue, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, implied that it was an “individual” case based on past behavior.

“I think there was one particular visa individually that there was an issue about regarding behavior, perhaps a couple of decades ago. But we'll work through that at a bilateral basis, not in a press conference,” Rubio told reporters Saturday (local time) during a press conference following a G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta.

His comments came after he had a meeting with Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, who said last week before his departure to the U.S. that he would discuss the issue with Rubio.

韩国众议员金成俊在国会委员会代表团即将启程前往夏威夷美国太平洋司令部的前一天才获得美国签证。这一延误引发了对立政党的争论，双方就此事是否反映出韩美同盟关系紧张展开辩论：国民力量党认为这表明双方信任度下降，而韩国民主党则指责其将此事政治化。美国国务卿马可·卢比奥称此事为个别案例，与过往行为有关，并表示将通过双边途径解决。

金周三表示，他收到了签证拒签通知，对此感到遗憾，因为他计划的行程是官方的，旨在与美国政府和军方官员会面。

签证被拒的确切原因尚不清楚，但一些观察人士认为这与金某在 20 世纪 80 年代违反国家安全法有关。

前朝鲜民主主义人民党党首郑正来议员上个月也遭遇了签证延误，并将他的国会视察行程改为前往欧洲。

PPP发言人朴成勋表示，金某必须提交一份过去因违反《国家安全法》而被定罪的英文翻译件以及犯罪记录检查报告，才能获得入境许可。

鲁比奥周六会见了韩国外交部长赵显，赵显上周曾表示将与鲁比奥讨论签证问题。之后，鲁比奥发表了上述言论。

发布于2026年11月1日下午3:13（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年11月1日下午5:12（韩国标准时间）

议员签证在出发前一天签发。

10月15日，韩国国会国防委员会委员长晋成俊在全罗南道光州特别广域市第一战斗机联队举行的国会审计会议上致开幕词。（韩联社）

执政党议员的美国签证迟迟未获签发，引发了敌对政党之间的争论，他们争论这是否是韩美同盟摩擦加剧的迹象。

主要反对党人民力量党（PPP）称，这一事件清楚地表明联盟内部的信任已经遭到破坏。

“这是一个具有象征意义的时刻，它清楚地暴露了韩美同盟日益扩大的裂痕以及两国之间信任的彻底崩溃，”人民进步党高级发言人朴成勋议员周六在一份声明中表示。

“韩国国会国防委员会主席在最终获得入境许可前，竟然被要求向我们的盟友美国提交一份过去违反《国家安全法》的判决英文翻译件和一份犯罪记录核查报告，这既是史无前例的外交尴尬，也是国家的耻辱。”朴槿惠写道。

朴槿惠发表声明之前，执政党共同民主党议员、国会国防委员会主席晋成俊宣布，他的签证迟迟未能签发，而就在一天后，该委员会原计划前往夏威夷的美国太平洋司令部。

金某周三表示，他收到了拒签通知，并对此表示遗憾。他称此行并非私人行程，而是公务行程，目的是会见美国政府和军方官员。

否认的确切原因尚不清楚，但一些观察人士认为这与该议员在 20 世纪 80 年代违反国家安全法有关，这种情况在以前的民主抗议者中很常见。

金某的遭遇是第二起类似案例，前朝鲜民主主义人民党主席郑正来议员上个月也遭遇了签证延误，最终被迫将国会视察行程改为前往欧洲。郑正来曾在上世纪80年代参与反美活动。

“金正恩或许会像什么都没发生过一样登上飞往夏威夷的飞机，但这并不能消除目前联盟岌岌可危的现状，”朴槿惠写道。

民主党反驳了这些说法，指责人民党将这个问题政治化，而不是支持议会职责。

“当合法的议会活动受到阻碍时，人民进步党怎么能攻击自己的议员同僚呢？人民进步党根本没有维护国家利益的意愿。” 共同民主党议会发言人李珠熙议员周六发表声明，敦促人民进步党就此事政治化道歉。

朝鲜民主主义人民党发言人申贤英也表示，人民进步党“应该避免发表损害韩美同盟或试图离间首尔和华盛顿的言论”。

至于签证问题，美国国务卿马可·卢比奥则暗示，这是一个基于过去行为的“个别”案例。

“我认为大约二三十年前，确实有一个签证问题与行为有关。但我们会通过双边谈判解决这个问题，而不是在新闻发布会上，”鲁比奥周六（当地时间）在亚特兰大举行的二十国集团外长会议后的新闻发布会上告诉记者。

此前，他与韩国外长赵显举行了会晤。赵显上周在启程前往美国前表示，他将与卢比奥讨论这个问题。