Spy agency rejects media report on US visa denial for staff

The National Intelligence Service said Tuesday that it is consulting with the United States over delays in visas for some employees scheduled to work at the Korean Embassy in Washington. The NIS denied reports that the applications had been rejected and rejected links to tensions over Coupang or alleged intelligence activities. It said intelligence cooperation between Korea and the United States remains active.

The NIS attributed the visa delays to issues involving applicants’ personal information under strengthened U.S. entry procedures.

A senior NIS official who is supposed to return to Korea has not yet reached an agreement with Washington over their departure, according to the report cited by the article.

Rep. Michael Baumgartner introduced legislation to bar and deport foreign officials accused of discriminating against U.S. companies, and the bill passed the House Judiciary Committee on Sept. 16.

Sue Mi Terry was indicted by U.S. federal prosecutors in 2024 for allegedly failing to register as a foreign agent while working on behalf of the South Korean government.

The United States restricted some intelligence shared with South Korea after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young identified Kusong as a North Korean uranium-enrichment site during a parliamentary committee session in March.

Published Oct 6, 2026 3:01 pm KST

NIS in talks with Washington over entry delays

The logo of the National Intelligence Service / Korea Times file

Korea’s spy agency said Tuesday that it is in talks with the United States over delays in issuing visas to some of its employees scheduled to work at the Korean Embassy in Washington, denying a media report that their visa applications had been rejected.

The statement from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) came in response to a Chosun Ilbo report revealing that the U.S. government had not approved Korea's request to dispatch NIS personnel to Washington as diplomats.

The report also said Washington has not yet reached an agreement with Seoul over the departure of a senior NIS official who is supposed to return to Korea.

“The delays in some visa applications are related to issues concerning the applicants’ personal information as part of the strengthened U.S. entry procedures,” the NIS said. “We are closely consulting with the U.S. side on the matter.”

The intelligence agency further dismissed claims that the visa delays were linked to broader tensions between Seoul and Washington, including disputes over e-commerce giant Coupang and allegations involving intelligence activities in the U.S. by diplomats who have backgrounds in the NIS.

Expressing "deep regret" over the "distorted report," the NIS said that "the matter has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence cooperation between Korea and the U.S.,” and underscored that intelligence cooperation between Korea and the U.S. remains active.

Coupang, other issues cited as reasons behind delays

As the Donald Trump administration has in some cases restricted visa issuance or abruptly revoked previously issued visas for foreign government officials deemed to be at odds with U.S. diplomatic or national security interests, speculation has emerged that ongoing tensions between the two countries may be behind such delays.

A massive data breach at Coupang in December 2025 fueled concerns in Washington, with some U.S. lawmakers accusing the Korean government of discriminating against the U.S.-headquartered company, which operates primarily in Korea.

Rep. Michael Baumgartner subsequently introduced legislation to bar and deport foreign officials deemed to have discriminated against U.S. companies. The bill passed the House Judiciary Committee on Sept. 16.

Controversies surrounding Korean intelligence activities in the U.S. are also cited as possible reasons.

Although the issue dates back to the previous South Korean administration, Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst specializing in North Korea, was indicted by U.S. federal prosecutors in 2024 for allegedly failing to register as a foreign agent while working on behalf of the South Korean government.

Trust issues between South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies have also been raised.

The U.S. had restricted some of the intelligence it had been sharing with South Korea on North Korea after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young identified Kusong as one of the sites housing North Korea's uranium enrichment facilities during a parliamentary committee session in March.

National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok attends a meeting of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

韩国国家情报院周二表示，正就部分原定在韩国驻华盛顿大使馆工作的雇员签证延误问题与美国进行磋商。国情院否认了有关签证申请被拒的报道，并否认此事与Coupang平台引发的紧张局势或所谓的情报活动有关。国情院表示，韩美之间的情报合作依然活跃。

美国移民及海关执法局（NIS）将签证延误归咎于美国加强入境程序后申请人个人信息方面的问题。

据文章引述的报道，一名本应返回韩国的韩国国家情报院高级官员尚未与华盛顿就其离境事宜达成协议。

众议员迈克尔·鲍姆加特纳提出了一项立法，禁止和驱逐被指控歧视美国公司的外国官员，该法案于 9 月 16 日在众议院司法委员会获得通过。

2024年，美国联邦检察官以涉嫌在为韩国政府工作期间未注册为外国代理人为由，对苏米·特里提起诉讼。

今年 3 月，韩国统一部长官郑东荣在国会委员会会议上指出龟城是朝鲜的铀浓缩基地后，美国限制了与韩国分享的部分情报。

发布于2026年10月6日下午3:01（韩国标准时间）

NIS正与华盛顿就入境延误问题进行谈判

韩国国家情报院标志/《韩国时报》档案

韩国情报机构周二表示，正在与美国就部分原定在韩国驻华盛顿大使馆工作的雇员签证发放延迟问题进行谈判，否认了媒体关于这些雇员签证申请已被拒绝的报道。

韩国国家情报院（NIS）发表声明，回应《朝鲜日报》的一篇报道。该报道披露，美国政府没有批准韩国向华盛顿派遣国家情报院人员担任外交官的请求。

报告还指出，华盛顿尚未与首尔就一名应返回韩国的高级国情院官员的离境问题达成协议。

移民局表示：“部分签证申请延误与美国加强入境程序中涉及申请人个人信息的问题有关。我们正就此事与美方密切磋商。”

该情报机构进一步驳斥了签证延误与首尔和华盛顿之间更广泛的紧张关系有关的说法，包括围绕电子商务巨头 Coupang 的争端，以及有关具有韩国国安社背景的外交官在美国从事情报活动的指控。

韩国国家情报院对该“歪曲报道”表示“深表遗憾”，并表示“此事与韩美情报合作绝对无关”，同时强调韩美情报合作依然活跃。

Coupang 以及其他一些问题也被认为是造成延误的原因。

由于唐纳德·特朗普政府在某些情况下限制签证发放或突然撤销先前签发给被认为与美国外交或国家安全利益相悖的外国政府官员的签证，因此有人猜测，两国之间持续的紧张关系可能是造成此类延误的原因。

2025 年 12 月，Coupang 发生大规模数据泄露事件，引发了华盛顿的担忧，一些美国议员指责韩国政府歧视这家总部位于美国、主要在韩国运营的公司。

随后，众议员迈克尔·鲍姆加特纳提出一项法案，旨在禁止和驱逐被认为歧视美国公司的外国官员。该法案于9月16日获得众议院司法委员会通过。

围绕韩国在美国的情报活动而引发的争议也被认为是可能的原因之一。

尽管这个问题可以追溯到韩国上一届政府时期，但专门研究朝鲜问题的美国中央情报局前分析师苏美·特里 (Sue Mi Terry) 于 2024 年被美国联邦检察官起诉，罪名是涉嫌在为韩国政府工作期间未注册为外国代理人。

韩国和美国情报机构之间的信任问题也引起了关注。

在韩国统一部长官郑东荣于 3 月份的国会委员会会议上指出龟城是朝鲜铀浓缩设施所在地之一后，美国限制了与韩国分享的有关朝鲜的部分情报。

韩国国家情报院院长李钟硕周四在首尔汝矣岛国会大厦出席国会情报委员会会议。（韩联社）