Seoul:Rep. Jin Sung-joon of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party has announced he has been granted a U.S. visa for a visit to the U.S. Pacific Command, following an initial rejection of his application.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Jin, who chairs the parliamentary defense committee, shared via a Facebook post that he received the A-2 visa from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. He expressed relief that the U.S. State Department issued the visa, albeit later than expected.

Jin is scheduled to depart on Sunday afternoon to engage in discussions with the U.S. Pacific commander and other military leaders, focusing on strengthening bilateral security cooperation and developing a forward-looking alliance.

Previously, on Wednesday, Jin had revealed that his visa application was rejected, posting a document on Facebook that appeared to confirm the refusal. He expressed strong regret over the situation, noting the rejection was perplexing since he had visited the U.S. command in 2014 as part of the parliamentary committee.

While the exact reason for the visa denial was not specified, some observers have suggested that Jin's past legal issues might have played a role. In 1991, Jin was sentenced to three years in prison, along with a three-year suspension of qualifications, for violating South Korea's National Security Act.