South Korean foreign minister to raise lawmaker's US visa denial with Secretary Rubio

During a parliamentary audit of the foreign and unification ministries, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun confirmed he will travel to the United States the day after tomorrow to attend the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta and meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He said the agenda will include the unresolved visa application of Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Chung-rae, whose request is still under review by the U.S. State Department.

Rep. Hong Kee-won had earlier asked the government to convey Seoul's concerns to Washington over the issue. Jung had been slated to join a parliamentary audit of South Korean missions in the Americas, but switched to the Europe audit team after his visa remained pending. Cho also noted he raised the matter with the acting U.S. ambassador on Oct. 8 and will pursue bilateral talks with other major nations on the sidelines of the G20 gathering. The episode has drawn criticism as a possible sign of strain in the bilateral relationship.