Speech #1090090414

Korea has also adopted economic policies that have helped them become the worlds eleventh largest economy. the United States seventh largest trading partner. and the fifth largest market for United States agricultural products. In recognition of this steadfast friendship and unique relationship our nation has with the Republic of Korea. I am introducing legislation to make South Korea a Visa Waiver Program country. Under the Visa Waiver Program. a traveler to the United States. either for business or pleasure. can enter the country for up to ninety days without obtaining a visa. This courtesy has already been extended to United States citizens by the South Korean government. Currently. twentyseven countries are on the visa waiver list. ranging from France and Japan to Brunei and Slovenia. The United States is home to over two million people of Korean heritage. By placing South Korea on the Visa Waiver Program list. we would make it easier friends and family the opportunity to visit our country and strengthen relationships with their loved ones. Currently. if a friend or family member wants to visit someone in the U.S. they must apply for a visa at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. requiring travel to the capital city where the process often takes up to two weeks to complete. For many family and friends the process is too expensive and onerous to complete. Allowing the Republic of Korea into the waiver program will streamline this process. granting our South Korean friends the same opportunity to visit our country as people from our other allied nations. Placing Korea on the visa waiver country list would have a positive impact on our economy. More than 626.000 Korean citizens visit the United States each year. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce. overall tourism dollars spent in the U.S. by tourists from the Republic of Korea exceeded $1 billion in fiscal year 2004. Visitation and tourism dollars are bound to grow if South Korea is allowed to be a part of the Visa Waiver Program. To curb any potential abuses. the South Korean government is taking aggressive steps to comply with post 9/11 security requirements to combat visa fraud. South Korea has already invested in state of the art technology and currently issues secure machine readable passports with digitalized photographs that are difficult to counterfeit. By 2007. epassports will be introduced with biometric identifiers in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization standards.