US Embassy in Seoul to resume visa applications for student, exchange visitors

People line up at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul for visa applications, May 28. Yonhap

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul said Friday it plans to soon resume accepting visa applications for student and exchange visitors, based on standards that include "thorough vetting" of applicants' social media accounts.

The announcement is in line with the U.S. State Department's release on Thursday (local time) that all U.S. overseas missions will be rescheduling applications for F, M and J nonimmigrant visas.

"The Embassy will resume scheduling F, M, and J nonimmigrant visa applications soon," the embassy said in a media release, asking applicants to check the U.S. visa scheduling website on https://www.ustraveldocs.com/kr.

"All applicants for F, M, J nonimmigrant visas are instructed to adjust the privacy setting on all of their social media profiles to 'public,'" the embassy said.

The decision came weeks after the United States suspended the student visa application process in a move to tighten screening of foreigners potentially posing a threat to U.S. national security.