"If Attending Yoon Impeachment Rally, US Visa Denied Like IU?" Rumor Denied by Foreign Minister as "Impossible"

Far-right netizens report IU, NewJeans, and others to the CIA
Cho Tae-yeol, Minister of Foreign Affairs, says "Sovereign matters of those countries"

Recently, rumors have been circulating mainly on some online communities that "attending President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment rallies will result in the denial of the U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) issuance," leading to indiscriminate reports against celebrities such as singer IU. In response, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul emphasized that "(ESTA denial) is impossible."

A YouTuber who introduced himself as an "American patriotic right-winger" revealed that he reported singer IU to the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). IU Instagram, YouTube channel "Cheonjuguk Parengi"

On the 24th, during a current affairs inquiry at the International Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Jang Kyung-tae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asked, "Is it true that ESTA issuance is denied if one attends an impeachment rally?" Minister Cho replied, "That is impossible."

When Representative Jang further questioned, "There are rumors in some communities that if you report entertainers who supported the impeachment to intelligence agencies such as the U.S. CIA or the U.K. MI6, entry to those countries will be denied," Minister Cho dismissed this by saying, "Is that even possible? That is a matter of those countries' sovereignty."

Subsequently, Representative Jang requested, "As various fake news are spreading, please consider issuing a public notice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarifying that ESTA and exchange student visas (J1) are not denied entry simply because of reporting to the CIA regardless of attendance at rallies. The public is feeling anxious." Minister Cho responded, "I will look into it."

Meanwhile, recently, some far-right netizens have been reporting entertainers such as singer and actress IU (Lee Ji-eun) and the group NewJeans, who supported President Yoon's impeachment rallies, to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and posting messages certifying these reports. Their intention is to label them as pro-North Korean forces or anti-Americanists to complicate U.S. immigration screening or block the issuance of ESTA, a visa waiver program. However, U.S. visa and stay affairs are under the jurisdiction of the State Department, not the CIA.

In fact, an online community posted an email allegedly received from the CIA. The author, Mr. A, stated, "There have been an overwhelming number of reports from Korea, surprising the CIA. The firepower of internet superpower patriots is tremendous," and estimated, "An average of 20,000 to 30,000 reports have been made, so ESTA issuance must have been blocked." However, the email from the CIA that Mr. A disclosed was actually a notice that his email was rejected.