US visa troubles for Korean lawmakers 'very unusual': ex-US diplomat

The Korea Times - Oct 29, 2026

SEATTLE — A former U.S. diplomat said it is "very unusual" for Korean lawmakers to have their official visits disrupted by visa complications, suggesting that stricter interpretations of U.S. immigration rules may be behind the recent difficulties. Henry Haggard, a former minister counselor for political affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul who now heads a Washington D.C.-based geopolitical advisory firm, said additional screening for applicants with criminal records is normal, but such procedures have historically rarely prevented senior officials from traveling to the United States on official business. "It is normal for any official or citizen with a criminal record — Korean or otherwise — to have to go through a more complex application process, but it is very unusual for such additional processing to lead to lawmakers or those traveling for official business to have to cancel their trip or to get refused," Haggard told The Korea Times on Wednesday. His comments came after Rep. Jin Sung-joon, chair of the National Assembly's defense committee, disclosed that his U.S. visa appl

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