Key facts
- Rep. Jung Chung-rae's U.S. visa was delayed, preventing his participation in a parliamentary audit.
- Jung switched to a Europe audit team due to the visa delay.
- The visa issue has become a point of political controversy in South Korea.
- Concerns about South Korea-U.S. intelligence cooperation friction are cited as a backdrop.
SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the ruling Democratic Party criticized U.S. authorities on Tuesday over a visa delay that prevented him from participating in a parliamentary audit in Washington. The delay forced Jung to switch to a Europe audit team. He described the U.S. handling of the matter as "deeply regrettable" and expressed concern that the opposition party was using the issue to attack the government. The visa delay comes amid broader concerns about friction in South Korea-U.S. intelligence cooperation, including a previous disclosure by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young about a North Korean uranium enrichment facility and the National Intelligence Service's exclusion from a trilateral meeting with the U.S. and Japan.