[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 117 (Friday, August 2, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1473-E1474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         ESTABLISH A 3-YEAR PILOT PROGRAM FOR KOREAN NATIONALS

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. JAY KIM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 1996

  Mr. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today--along with my colleague Mr. 
Abercrombie--to offer legislation which would establish a 3-year pilot 
program that would waive the visa requirement of Korean nationals who 
travel to the United States in tour groups.
  While I still believe that a bill that includes Korea in the overall 
Visa Waiver Pilot Program is the best answer, I realize there are still 
some obstacles that need to be worked out. Therefore the bill we 
introduce today is a good first step and I commend the gentleman from 
Hawaii for it.
  My reasons for cosponsoring this legislation are twofold: First, the 
current situation at the U.S. Embassy's Consular Affairs office in 
Seoul is embarrassing and unacceptable. The problem stems from two 
counteracting forces: the lack of sufficient space and personnel in the 
Consular Affairs office and the ever increasing number of South Koreans 
requesting nonimmigrant, visitor visas.
  Currently, the Consular Affairs office in Seoul is understaffed, 
over-worked and unable to meet the demands of reviewing over 2,000 visa 
applications per day. This unfortunate situation has resulted in 
extremely long lines of potential tourists to the United States who are 
growing more and more impatient, annoyed and disheartened with the way 
they are being treated.
  During a recent trip to South Korea, I personally witnessed the most 
shameful treatment of human beings. One potential tourist told me that 
he had been waiting in line for 3 days. Three days. He had come all the 
way from the southern end of South Korea, since the United States does 
not have any other Consular Affairs offices in Korea. Another woman, 
who appeared to be in her thirties, explained her frustration at having 
to stand outside during a thunderstorm because there is no shelter from 
the elements available. I was personally ashamed, as I suspect many of 
my colleagues would have been, by these tales of inhumane treatment.
  These are but two examples of the growing frustration and 
disappointment many South Koreans are vocalizing. This has resulted in 
a growing sentiment of discontent with the United States. They rightly 
point out that this is no way for friends to treat friends. If we are 
to retain our place in the hearts of the Korean people we must do 
something to reverse this trend. While I have been able to persuade the 
State Department to focus more resources in this area, and while the 
worst of these situations have been resolved--at least for the time 
being--there remains a tremendous backlog and frequent examples of 
frustrating delays and arbitrary rejections. Providing a visa waiver 
for tour groups would alleviate some of this problem.
  My second reason for cosponsoring this legislation is pure economics. 
Currently, South Korea is the sixth largest trading partner with the 
United States. This has resulted in total United States exports 
equalling over $14 billion with a cumulative direct investment of over 
$1 billion by United States companies in South Korea. This ever growing 
market has allowed for a continued growth in personal incomes for the 
South Korean people. The net result has been an increased demand by 
Korean tourists to visit the United States.

  According to the Travel and Tourism Administration, South Korean 
arrivals were expected to reach over 600,000 in 1995, up an astonishing 
900 percent from the 1987 levels. Of the over 400,000 South Korean 
travelers who came to the United States in 1993, 35 percent came for 
vacations or holidays with another 35 percent coming to visit friends 
or relatives. Most of such travel has been to California, New York, 
Hawaii, Arizona, and Florida. With an estimated $1 billion in potential 
tourism dollars to spend, it is easy to see the importance of promoting 
easier access to the U.S. tourist market which has experienced 
considerable losses over the past few years. Simply put, more Korean 
tourists equals more business and jobs in the United States.
  My home State of California is a perfect example of how important 
tourism is to the United States. According to the California Division 
of Tourism, California's travel and tourism industry generates $55.7 
billion annually, which is 6.5 percent of the Gross State Product. 
Overall, California would rank eighth in terms of international tourism 
as a separate nation,

[[Page E1474]]

ahead of Switzerland, Singapore, Mexico, Canada, and Japan.
  On a more national front, travel and tourism is the third largest 
employer in the Nation after business and health services. In fact, 
travel exceeds the combined payrolls of the U.S. steel and motor 
vehicles manufacturing industries. Between 1983 and 1993, travel-
related employment and payroll has steadily increase--with payrolls 
nearly doubling and the number of jobs rising 38 percent. These kinds 
of numbers only further the argument that travel and tourism will 
double in size over the next decade, resulting in more job 
opportunities for people throughout the world. The United States must 
work to ensure its place in the travel and tourism industry by opening 
our doors to an economy which has been growing continuously over the 
past decade--South Korea. America has always been the first choice of 
destination for almost all Koreans.
  However, under the current situation of long lines and endless 
delays, many Koreans are fed up with waiting and are going instead to 
Canada--which has a waiver policy toward Korea--Europe or Australia. We 
stand to lose millions of dollars and thousands of American jobs 
because of our broken visa system.
  The legislation we offer today would establish a 3-year pilot program 
that would waive the visa requirement for Korean nationals who travel 
to the United States in tour groups. Under the program, selected travel 
agencies in Korea would be allowed to issue temporary travel permits. 
The applicants would be required to meet the same prerequisites 
required by the U.S. Embassy.
  This pilot program also includes additional restrictions to help 
prevent overstays. These include: The stay can be no longer than 15 
days; The visitor must have a round-trip ticket; The visitor must pose 
no threat to the welfare, health, safety, or security of the United 
States; Tour operators must post a $200,000 bond with the Secretary of 
State, and will be penalized if a visitor fails to return on time; tour 
operators will be required to provide written certification of the on-
time return of each visitor within the tour group; the Secretary of 
State or Attorney General can terminate the program if the overstay 
rate exceeds 2 percent.
  This bill represents a strong first step in solving the visa backlog 
in Seoul.
  I urge my colleagues to join Mr. Abercrombie and me and cosponsor 
this legislation.

                          ____________________