Kim Min-seok Says "Strong Regret" Over Delayed U.S. Visa for Former DP Leader Jeong Cheong-rae...Party Will Follow Up"

Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party, expressed "strong regret" on the 8th over the delayed issuance of a U.S. visa for former party leader Jeong Cheong-rae.

In a post on his Facebook on that day, Kim said, "It is reported that delays in issuing a U.S. visit visa for former party leader Jeong Cheong-rae have caused disruptions to the parliamentary audit," and "I express strong regret over the delayed visa issuance for the immediately preceding ruling party leader, a highly respected four-term veteran lawmaker." He added, "I hope the South Korea-U.S. diplomatic authorities will actively address the issue promptly," and "The party will continue to follow up on this matter." He posted the same content on X (formerly Twitter).

Jeong, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, was scheduled to visit the United States for the parliamentary audit of overseas diplomatic missions, but as his visa remains "under review" without issuance, the audit destination has been changed from the U.S. to Europe. Jeong previously faced a U.S. visa issuance problem in 2013 as well.

Experts note that the U.S. visa hold-up for the immediately preceding ruling party leader and a sitting four-term lawmaker is unprecedented. With the incumbent party leader publicly expressing regret and signaling a party-level response, attention is focused on whether this visa delay will develop into a South Korea-U.S. diplomatic issue.