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IN DENYING ENTRY TO K-POP ARTISTS
‘Applicants for admission must prove eligibility to enter’
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Posted on Nov 04 2022
U.S. Customs and Border Protection says that the 17 K-pop artists who were planning to enter the CNMI as volunteer performers of a planned K-pop concert were required to prove that they were eligible to enter the United States. However, they reportedly failed to do so, according to CBP.
In an email from CBP spokesperson Scott Heatherly in response to the case of the K-pop artists who were supposed to come to Saipan for a concert, he said they were not granted entry to Saipan because they could not overcome all grounds of inadmissibility.
“As the agency charged with determining admissibility of aliens at ports of entry, under U.S. immigration law [Section 291 of the INA [8 USC 1361] applicants for admission bear the burden of proof to establish that they are clearly eligible to enter the United States. In order to demonstrate that they are admissible, the applicant must overcome all grounds of inadmissibility,” he said.
“The United States has been and continues to be a welcoming nation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection not only protects U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents in the country but also wants to ensure the safety of our international travelers who come to visit, study and conduct legitimate business in our country,” he added.
According to Saipan Tribune archives, the free K-pop concert that was scheduled for Oct. 28 and Oct. 29 was cancelled due to visa issues.
The 17 artists allegedly arrived on Oct. 26, but were held at the airport because they were not able to provide the proper visas—in their case artist visas, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the group only had tourist visas.
The planned “2022 Saipan Tourism Fanival” was supposed to be a free K-pop concert and was intended as a gesture of thanks by Hong Kyun Kim, who is the president of P&A Corp.
