Seoul: South Korea has called for cooperation from the U.S. government to ensure that new restrictions on the stay periods of international students and foreign journalists do not undermine people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Deputy Foreign Minister Park Jong-han met with Jason Evans, under secretary for management at the U.S. Department of State, in Seoul to discuss a range of bilateral cooperation issues. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) emphasized the importance of active people-to-people exchanges as the cornerstone of bilateral ties, fostering mutual understanding between the two countries' citizens and strengthening their future-oriented alliance.
The meeting came after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last week a plan to limit the authorized stay of international students to four years and that of foreign journalists holding I visas to 240 days. Park asked the U.S. government to pay close attention to the issue and provide support to ensure that U.S. immigration policies do not result in unintended harm or unfair infringement of the rights and interests of South Korean nationals.