5174

Hill Pushes Visa Waivers for Koreans


Washington is examining the possibility of starting an administrative review process for South Koreans to travel to the United States without a visa obtained prior to their trip, a senior U.S. State Department official told the House International Relations Committee in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.

``We are exploring the possibility of commencing the administrative review process for Korea's possible inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP),'' Christopher Hill, assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told lawmakers.

He said the visa issue is one of Washington's ``biggest public outreach challenges'' in South Korea because the Koreans are aware of their status as the United States' 7th largest trading partner and one of its strongest military allies.

``So Koreans look at all of this and wonder why they aren’t included with Japan and 26 other countries whose people can visit the United States without a visa under certain circumstances,'' Hill said.

Seoul needs to meet a number of requirements to be allowed in the VWP such as plans to issue an electronic passport; a program to ensure effective border security; law enforcement cooperation with the United States; and a visa refusal rate of less than three percent, he said.


# The Korea Times [September 29, 2006]

By Park Song-wu
Staff Reporter