In "Lovers of Joseon," Kim Tae-won was depicted facing unfortunate circumstances as his U.S. visa was denied due to his past marijuana convictions.

On the broadcast of TV Joseon’s entertainment program "Lovers of Joseon" on 17th, Kim Tae-won was portrayed.

Earlier, Kim Tae-won was denied a U.S. visa. Kim Tae-won got married to his wife Lee Hyun-joo, who is one year younger, after a nine-year romance in 1999 and has one son and one daughter. During their relationship, he was involved in two past marijuana incidents that caused controversy. He had been charged twice for marijuana use in 1987 and 1991.

Among these, the story of Kim Tae-won's daughter's wedding was depicted. Kim Tae-won called his daughter to inquire about the wedding in Korea, but she mentioned that her boyfriend's mother, who is named Demin, had suddenly deteriorated in health, making it impossible for them to attend the wedding in Korea due to a stroke. In response, his daughter asked, "How about if you try to come to New York if possible?" Kim Tae-won replied, "That’s true, but the visa issue is frustrating." He then said, "I will look into how to get a visa. It’s hard for me to understand why I can’t go to my daughter’s wedding when I’m just trying to go, but I think it will work out well."

Kim Tae-won said, "It’s a tough situation; she’s dealing with a stroke, and it’s rude to force her to come," adding, "If I could, I would like to go to my daughter’s wedding in the U.S. if the visa works out, but it’s uncertain." He also stated that he was denied a performance visa in March last year.

However, Kim Tae-won noted that he had not applied for a travel visa yet. There were still some ways worth trying. The production team suggested, "Let’s try applying online," and with the help of a U.S.-born producer, they accessed the internet. In particular, the image of his passport, showing his bare eyes without sunglasses, drew attention.

Thus, Kim Tae-won applied for the ESTA visa. However, he had to enter personal information, including a question about "Have you ever violated laws regarding possession or distribution of illegal drugs?" Additionally, when asked, "Have you ever been denied a U.S. visa or entry or had an application denied?" Kim Tae-won honestly answered, "Yes."

Three days later, he contacted the production team after hearing the results. His visa issuance was denied due to two negative responses. Kim Tae-won asked, "I went through a transitional period in life, having been tried twice for the marijuana case in 1987 and 1991. Could this be the reason for the visa denial?" An expert replied, "If there’s already a visa denial, the ESTA will be automatically denied; however, lying is also an issue." Kim Tae-won remarked, "I can’t lie; it was prominently reported in the newspaper," evoking an embarrassed smile.

The expert noted, "Looking at the filing for last March's performance visa denial, the documents state, 'Previous convictions are forgiven.' The most likely reason could be the possibility that the visa interview didn’t happen," explaining situations that might be problematic regarding the interview attitude at that time.

[OSEN]