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