Ruling party lawmaker voices regret over U.S. visa rejection

DP lawmaker-US visa

SEOUL, Oct. 28 (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 exact reason for the visa rejection was not known.

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.

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