South Korea’s spy service disputes reports of US visa rejections for its staff
The National Intelligence Service says it is negotiating with the United States over visa delays for employees slated for the Korean Embassy in Washington, rejecting claims their applications were denied.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service issued a statement that it is in discussions with the United States to address delays in processing visas for several of its employees who are to be assigned to the Korean Embassy in Washington. The agency rejected a recent report claiming the United States had denied those visas, explaining that the postponements stem from heightened U.S. entry procedures concerning applicants’ personal information.
NIS said it is consulting closely with American authorities and emphasized that the matter does not reflect any deterioration in intelligence cooperation between the two countries. It also dismissed speculation linking the delays to ongoing disputes over e-commerce platform Coupang or to past allegations of NIS-related intelligence work in the United States. The statement arrived amid broader debates about a data breach at Coupang and legislative moves in the U.S. targeting foreign officials perceived to discriminate against American companies.
