Rep. Jin Sung-jun receives U.S. official visa, to depart for Washington tomorrow

Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Jin Sung-jun, chairman of the National Assembly's Defense Committee, received a U.S. official visa (A-2, issued for entry into the U.S. for official business) on the 31st and will begin his trip to the United States tomorrow (November 1). The National Assembly Defense Committee delegation plans to visit U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (PACOM) from November 1 to 5. "I will depart tomorrow afternoon and thoroughly discuss ways to strengthen bilateral security cooperation and develop a future-oriented alliance, focusing on South Korea's national interests, with the U.S. military leadership including the Pacific commander," Rep. Jin said. With the visa issued, the trip will proceed as originally planned. The delegation consists of lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, and discussions on security cooperation with U.S. military leadership are expected to take place smoothly as intended.

On Facebook on Friday, Rep. Jin said, "Today I received my visa from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul," adding, "I am relieved that the U.S. State Department has belatedly issued the official visa for the chairman of the National Assembly Defense Committee." He had previously disclosed that he was notified on the 28th that his visa application had been denied.

The exact reason for the initial visa denial remains unknown. Rep. Jin was sentenced in February 1991 to three years in prison and a three-year suspension of civil rights for violating the National Security Act, among other charges. He was punished for forming a military-internal group called 'Uibyeonghoe' while serving in the Army, advocating for the withdrawal of U.S. forces, among other causes. His activities were later recognized as part of the democratization movement, and he was pardoned and had his rights restored in 1995. He also previously visited PACOM in 2014 as a first-term lawmaker on the Defense Committee in the 19th National Assembly.