Ruling party lawmaker issued US visa, days after refusal

In a surprising turn of events, Jin Sung-joon, a prominent lawmaker from South Korea's ruling Democratic Party of Korea, has been granted a U.S. visa for an upcoming trip to the Pacific Command, despite initially being denied. The Democratic Party's key figure and chair of the parliamentary defense committee shared the news on Facebook, expressing relief that the U.S. State Department had finally issued the official A-2 visa, albeit with a delay.

Jin plans to depart for the U.S. on Sunday and will engage in discussions with the U.S. Pacific commander and other military leaders, focusing on bolstering bilateral security cooperation and forging a forward-looking alliance.

Notably, Jin had previously announced on Wednesday that his visa application had been rejected, sharing a document that appeared to confirm the refusal. In his post, Jin expressed deep regret, stating that the denial was difficult to comprehend, given his prior visit to the U.S. command in 2014 as a parliamentary committee member. While the exact reason for the denial remains unclear, some observers have pointed to Jin's past conviction as a potential factor.