South Korean lawmaker denied US visa for 1991 conviction. Three days later, he was issued A-2 visa after Marco Rubio’s diplomatic intervention

South Korean lawmaker was denied a diplomatic US visa apparently for his past conviction dating back to the 1990s.

A South Korean lawmaker who was initially denied a US visa over a decades-old criminal conviction was issued an official A-2 visa three days later, following diplomatic intervention involving US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.Jin Sung-joon, chairman of South Korea’s National Assembly National Defense Committee and a member of the ruling Democratic Party, received his visa from the US Embassy in Seoul on October 31, after his initial application was refused on October 28.The controversy centred on Jin’s 1991 conviction under South Korea’s National Security Act, for which he was sentenced to three years in prison and a three-year suspension of his civil rights. The exact reason for the initial visa refusal was not officially confirmed, although the lawmaker’s past conviction was widely cited as a possible factor.Jin was seeking an A-2 visa, a category issued to foreign government officials travelling to the United States on official government business. He was scheduled to join a bipartisan South Korean parliamentary delegation visiting the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii from November 1 to 5.

What happened in the visa controversy?

Jin announced the initial rejection on October 28 through a Facebook post, sharing what appeared to be a US visa refusal notice.He expressed strong regret over the decision, saying it was difficult to understand how the US could deny his application when he had previously visited the US Pacific Command in March 2014 as a member of a parliamentary committee.Jin said US authorities had requested court documents relating to his 1991 conviction, following which he submitted the relevant ruling.The case triggered diplomatic intervention from Seoul. South Korean Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul reportedly raised the matter with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth when the two met in the Philippines on October 28.South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun also raised the issue with Rubio on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta on October 30.On October 31, Rubio acknowledged the visa issue during a press conference in Atlanta, saying it appeared to involve an individual’s actions from decades ago.“I think there was one particular visa individually that there was an issue about regarding behavior perhaps a couple decades ago, but we’ll work through that at a bilateral basis, not in a press conference,” Rubio said.He indicated that the matter would be addressed through bilateral consultations between the two countries.Later that day, Jin announced that the US Embassy in Seoul had issued his A-2 visa, three days after the initial refusal.“It is fortunate that the US State Department has issued the official A-2 visa, albeit belatedly,” he said in his Facebook post.

What was the South Korean lawmaker convicted of?

Jin was convicted in 1991 of violating South Korea’s National Security Act. He was sentenced to three years in prison and a three-year suspension of his qualifications.According to South Korean media reports, he was accused of organizing a group during his military service that spread anti-American and pro-North Korean views, including calls for the withdrawal of US troops from South Korea.He was pardoned and had his rights restored in 1995 as part of a special presidential pardon marking South Korea’s Liberation Day.Jin has questioned why the decades-old conviction should affect his official visit, particularly given his previous visit to the US Pacific Command.The lawmaker departed for Hawaii on November 1 with a bipartisan delegation that included Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Byung-joo and Jin himself, along with People Power Party lawmaker Lim Jong-deuk and Reform Party lawmaker Chun Ha-ram. The delegation is scheduled to meet senior US military officials, including the commander of the US Pacific Command, to discuss bilateral security cooperation.