At 11:08 AM -0800 01/28/2004, Paul Hoffman / IMC wrote:
>At 10:46 AM -0800 1/28/04, Kevin C. Almeroth wrote:
>> >>The Korean embassy page that is linked to from the IETF meetings page
>>>>(<http://www.koreaembassy.org/visiting/eng_visas.cfm>) makes it
>>>>pretty darn clear that US folks should get a visa. They do have a
>>>>link from that page saying how wonderful US-Korea relations are, of
>>>>course.
>>
>>What part are you reading that says this?
>>
>>"# You may enter Korea without a visa for a stay up to 30 days
>>or less for tourism, visiting, or transit to another country when
>>carrying a valid US passport."
>>
>>Seems to me to pretty clear that a visa is not needed.
>
>I am not a lawyer, but I don't think attending a professional meeting is either
>"tourism", "visiting", or "transit to another country". YMMV.
Nor am I a lawyer. I have heard several times, though, that "visiting" includes
meetings of
this type, since attendees are not being paid by a Korean company for work and are
not expected to sell goods or services to Korean companies while there. I took away
from that the idea that "if your economic interaction with Korea while there is
only that of 'consumer', you are visiting".
Again, I am not a lawyer, and I suggest only that there may be a different view.
regards,
Ted Hardie
