Fwd: Re: Visa for IETF meeting

Email below is from Mr. Sang Yoo, in the visa office of the
Korean consulate in Washington DC. It should put to rest the
question of visas for the upcoming IETF meeting in Seoul.

Gene Gaines
gene(_dot_)gaines(_at_)gainesgroup(_dot_)com

This is a forwarded message
From:  ¹Ì±¹ <consular_usa(_at_)mofat(_dot_)go(_dot_)kr>
To:    gene(_dot_)gaines(_at_)gainesgroup(_dot_)com
Date:  Tuesday, January 13, 2004, 4:55:40 PM
Subject: Visa for IETF meeting for MR. YOO
=================Original message text===============

Hi,

Mr.Yoo said that you don't need visas for the conference and can stay up to 
30days in Korea.

But he pointed out one wrong thing in your email. That is the following.

 

You wrote;

  - This applies only to private U.S. citizens.  Government
    employees and citizens of other countries need to contact
    their local Korean embassy for a determination in their
    case. Ken, in your case, if you are a government employee,
    you will need a visa.

 

But the right information is that it applies to all U.S.citizens. 

And even though when government employees go to Korean for official purpose, 
then they need official visas. But when they go to Korea just for tour or 
non-profit conference, they don't need visas.

If you have more questions, then please write us back.

 

Thank you.




 

------ [ ¿øº» žÞŒŒÁö ] ------ 

ºž³œ »ç¶÷ : "Gene Gaines" 

³¯Â¥ : 2004-01-13 06:15:07 

ÁŠžñ : Visa for IETF meeting for MR. YOO 

Sang Yoo,

Thank you for speaking with me today.

I described what you told me in the email below, sent to the
email list used by the people that will be attending the
Internet engineering meeting in Seoul 29 February - 5 March 2004.

Gene Gaines
President
Gaines Group
Sterling, Virginia
gene(_dot_)gaines(_at_)gainesgroup(_dot_)com
703-433-2081



COPY OF MESSAGE SENT BELOW

From:  Gene Gaines <gene(_dot_)gaines(_at_)gainesgroup(_dot_)com>
To:    Ken Hornstein
CC:    ietf(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org
Date:  Monday, January 12, 2004, 3:18:21 PM
Subject: Visa for South Korea
=================Original message text===============

Ken,

As it happens, I attended a dinner Saturday that was addressed
by Ambassador Han, the Korean Ambassador to the U.S.

Taking up the Korean visa issue today, I spoke with an official
in the Washington DC visa section.

I believe I can state the visa regulation as it applies to U.S.
citizens.

  - Individuals traveling to Korean to attend the IETF meeting
    do not need a visa, as they are traveling to attend a
    non-profit conference.  They can stay in Korea up to 30
    day for such purpose and for tourism.

  - If you travel to Korea for business purposes, such as
    meeting customers or other business purposes, then a
    visa is needed.

  - This applies only to private U.S. citizens.  Government
    employees and citizens of other countries need to contact
    their local Korean embassy for a determination in their
    case. Ken, in your case, if you are a government employee,
    you will need a visa.

  - Another consideration concerning visa.  People attend
    IETF meetings as individuals, not directly representing
    their company -- and clearly a private individual traveling
    to attend a nonprofit technical meeting clearly does not
    need a visa.

Warning.  I am only relaying what was told to me today by a
responsible embassy official.  I am not attending the Seoul meeting,
but if I was, I would want to have an official statement from an
Korean official regarding the visa request.  One official who can
handle such a request at the visa section in Washington DC is
Mr. Sang Yoo.  I am copying this email to him.  A member of the
meeting committee might want to put a formal query to him, and
email his answer to the list.

For Mr. Yoo, details of the meeting:
59th IETF Meeting, Seoul, South Korea, 29 February - 5 March 2004.
For information about the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)
see: http://www.ietf.org/overview.html



    

Gene Gaines
gene(_dot_)gaines(_at_)gainesgroup(_dot_)com

On Monday, January 12, 2004, 12:12:27 PM, Ken wrote:

> > I d be interested in answers people get from other consulate/embassy
> > staff both from locations other than Boston and with different
> > phrasings of the question.
> Well, I finally was able to talk to someone at the Washington, DC, embassy.
> Their answer?  "We re not sure, but you might need one".
 -- snip --

> --Ken

-- 

==============End of original message text===========


-- 
Gene 
gene(_dot_)gaines(_at_)gainesgroup(_dot_)com


Embassy of the Republic of Korea

http://www.koreaembassy.org

 

==============End of original message text===========

Hi,

Mr.Yoo said that you don't need visas for the conference and can stay up to 30days in Korea.

But he pointed out one wrong thing in your email. That is the following.

 

You wrote;

  - This applies only to private U.S. citizens.  Government
    employees and citizens of other countries need to contact
    their local Korean embassy for a determination in their
    case. Ken, in your case, if you are a government employee,
    you will need a visa.

 

But the right information is that it applies to all U.S.citizens.

And even though when government employees go to Korean for official purpose, then they need official visas. But when they go to Korea just for tour or non-profit conference, they don't need visas.

If you have more questions, then please write us back.

 

Thank you.

 

------ [ ¿øº» ¸Þ¼¼Áö ] ------

º¸³½ »ç¶÷ : "Gene Gaines"

³¯Â¥ : 2004-01-13 06:15:07

Á¦¸ñ : Visa for IETF meeting for MR. YOO

Sang Yoo,

Thank you for speaking with me today.

I described what you told me in the email below, sent to the
email list used by the people that will be attending the
Internet engineering meeting in Seoul 29 February - 5 March 2004.

Gene Gaines
President
Gaines Group
Sterling, Virginia
gene(_dot_)gaines(_at_)gainesgroup(_dot_)com
703-433-2081



COPY OF MESSAGE SENT BELOW

From:  Gene Gaines <gene(_dot_)gaines(_at_)gainesgroup(_dot_)com>
To:    Ken Hornstein
CC:    ietf(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org
Date:  Monday, January 12, 2004, 3:18:21 PM
Subject: Visa for South Korea
=================Original message text===============

Ken,

As it happens, I attended a dinner Saturday that was addressed
by Ambassador Han, the Korean Ambassador to the U.S.

Taking up the Korean visa issue today, I spoke with an official
in the Washington DC visa section.

I believe I can state the visa regulation as it applies to U.S.
citizens.

  - Individuals traveling to Korean to attend the IETF meeting
    do not need a visa, as they are traveling to attend a
    non-profit conference.  They can stay in Korea up to 30
    day for such purpose and for tourism.

  - If you travel to Korea for business purposes, such as
    meeting customers or other business purposes, then a
    visa is needed.

  - This applies only to private U.S. citizens.  Government
    employees and citizens of other countries need to contact
    their local Korean embassy for a determination in their
    case. Ken, in your case, if you are a government employee,
    you will need a visa.

  - Another consideration concerning visa.  People attend
    IETF meetings as individuals, not directly representing
    their company -- and clearly a private individual traveling
    to attend a nonprofit technical meeting clearly does not
    need a visa.

Warning.  I am only relaying what was told to me today by a
responsible embassy official.  I am not attending the Seoul meeting,
but if I was, I would want to have an official statement from an
Korean official regarding the visa request.  One official who can
handle such a request at the visa section in Washington DC is
Mr. Sang Yoo.  I am copying this email to him.  A member of the
meeting committee might want to put a formal query to him, and
email his answer to the list.

For Mr. Yoo, details of the meeting:
59th IETF Meeting, Seoul, South Korea, 29 February - 5 March 2004.
For information about the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)
see: http://www.ietf.org/overview.html



   

Gene Gaines
gene(_dot_)gaines(_at_)gainesgroup(_dot_)com

On Monday, January 12, 2004, 12:12:27 PM, Ken wrote:

>>I d be interested in answers people get from other consulate/embassy
>>staff both from locations other than Boston and with different
>>phrasings of the question.

> Well, I finally was able to talk to someone at the Washington, DC, embassy.

> Their answer?  "We re not sure, but you might need one".

> I basically took the same tactic that Sam took; I described the IETF as
> a professional organization, and explained I was attending a meeting
> of this organization.  At first he said that a visa was not required,
> because this counts as a "visit", but then he said he wasn t sure, and
> maybe I would need a visa.

> I then started asking a few more questions.  I asked what exactly
> "business" travel was defined as, and after going around a few times
> about it, he basically settled on the definition that if you were
> travelling to Korea to a meeting for a "business purpose", then you
> need a visa.

> The whole thing was as clear as mud, and he clearly wasn t that familiar
> with the regulations.  I might try calling a few more consulates to
> see if I can find someone more knowledgeable.

> BTW, has anyone been able to contact the host web site?  (The one
> linked off of the IETF Seoul meeting web page)

> http://www.tta.or.kr/ietf59/index.htm

> I ve been trying for a few days now and no go.  It doesn t seem like
> a local network problem from where I m sitting, but sometimes it s hard
> to be sure.

> --Ken


--

==============End of original message text===========


--
Gene
gene(_dot_)gaines(_at_)gainesgroup(_dot_)com

Embassy of the Republic of Korea

http://www.koreaembassy.org