>I'd be interested in answers people get from other consulate/embassy >staff both from locations other than Boston and with different >phrasings of the question. Well, I finally was able to talk to someone at the Washington, DC, embassy. Their answer? "We're not sure, but you might need one". I basically took the same tactic that Sam took; I described the IETF as a professional organization, and explained I was attending a meeting of this organization. At first he said that a visa was not required, because this counts as a "visit", but then he said he wasn't sure, and maybe I would need a visa. I then started asking a few more questions. I asked what exactly "business" travel was defined as, and after going around a few times about it, he basically settled on the definition that if you were travelling to Korea to a meeting for a "business purpose", then you need a visa. The whole thing was as clear as mud, and he clearly wasn't that familiar with the regulations. I might try calling a few more consulates to see if I can find someone more knowledgeable. BTW, has anyone been able to contact the host web site? (The one linked off of the IETF Seoul meeting web page) http://www.tta.or.kr/ietf59/index.htm I've been trying for a few days now and no go. It doesn't seem like a local network problem from where I'm sitting, but sometimes it's hard to be sure. --Ken