Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
'Will my Instagram activity block me?' Social media fears cloud Korean students’ US study plans
People wait in line to apply for U.S. visas in front of the U.S. Embassy in Jongno District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Jung Da-hyun
New screening plan, halted interviews push students to consider UK, Canada instead
A wave of anxiety is taking hold among Koreans eyeing higher education opportunities in the United States, who are shifting the focus of their worries from academic benchmarks and linguistic fluency to the digital footprint they leave on social media platforms.
The concerns were sparked by reports that the U.S. government has ordered a pause on new student visa interview appointments as it considers implementing mandatory social media screening for visa applicants.
"We couldn’t get any work done because of the flood of phone calls and messages from worried students and parents asking about their visa interviews," a manager at an education consultancy specializing in U.S. study abroad program in southern Seoul told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity.
"One mother, whose daughter had been accepted to Yale University and was preparing to schedule a visa interview in June, came to our office in a panic, unsure of what to do,” she added. “Some students and parents are so worried about the social media screening that they’ve even considered deleting their accounts, just in case."
According to a report by Politico, Tuesday, the U.S. government is reviewing a plan to make social media screening mandatory for foreign students applying for visas to study in the country.
In preparation, the State Department has ordered all diplomatic missions to temporarily halt new interview appointments for F, M and J visas until further guidance is issued through a separate directive.
A document signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio states the measure takes effect immediately, while visa interviews already scheduled will proceed as planned, according to the report.
In response to an inquiry from The Korea Times, the U.S. Embassy in Korea stated, “We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting. All visa applicants, regardless of visa type or location, are continuously vetted.”
The embassy, however, offered no official comment on the report or on how any potential changes might impact upcoming student visa applicants from Korea.
"Since 2019, the Department of State has required visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms," it added.
However, indications suggest the suspension of visa interviews may already be in effect.
As of Wednesday, attempts to access the U.S. visa appointment scheduling website show that no interview slots are available for F or J visa categories. With the system currently unavailable, even those renewing existing visas face delays, as submitting an interview request remains part of the process.
According to professionals in international education who work with high school students, many parents are becoming increasingly anxious amid growing uncertainty.
"It takes at least three to four years of preparation and significant financial investments to apply for U.S. universities," said an instructor surnamed Lee at a private cram school in Daegu. "Parents spend heavily on private education and overseas programs to strengthen their children’s applications."
A 26-year-old master’s student in communication and media at Ewha Womans University, surnamed Jeong, also expressed concern.
"I’m completing my degree this year and planned to apply for a Ph.D. program at Columbia or other universities in the U.S.," she said. "But with the current uncertainty, I’m worried about whether studying there will even be possible."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at the State Department in Washington, May 22. AP-Yonhap
These growing concerns are prompting some students to consider alternatives such as the U.K. or Canada.
"There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding studying in the U.S. right now — from the social media screening issue to President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about banning international students at Harvard," said Baek Yul-ri, director of a U.S. study abroad consulting firm in southern Seoul.
"But because these are largely political matters, there’s no clear way to predict or prepare for them."
Baek added that such measures could spark a backlash over potential human rights violations.
"The lack of clear criteria is troubling, as it creates the risk that visas could be denied based on vague or opaque standards," she said.
The U.S. State Department, for its part, has not directly refuted the Politico report. Instead, officials underscored the inherent right of every nation to screen foreign nationals seeking entry.