By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

South Koreans applying for U.S. visas will have index fingers scanned from late next month, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul announced Friday. In addition, the scope of interview exemptions will be drastically reduced, which will lead to more difficulties and longer waits for South Koreans applicants.

The U.S. Embassy announced these and other visa-related measures that will take effect from next month during a press conference at the U.S. Embassy Information Resource Center.

U.S. Consul-General Bernard Alter stressed that the new system is part of efforts to strengthen U.S. border security in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. He explained that the finger scanning process will not only apply to Korean citizens.

The scanned fingerprints will be sent to the U.S. government so they can be compared with criminal records. The information will also be used when people enter the U.S. for identification purposes.

The U.S. envoy also explained that the interview-exemption system will be changed as of August 2. According to the plan, those hoping to enter U.S will be required to go through an interview process conducted by the U.S. Embassy, with only three reasons for exemptions.

Those to be exempted from the interviews will include children under the age of 14 with at least one parent holding a U.S. visa, those aged more than 80, and Korean government officials holding official visas and their families.

Alter said that there would be more visa interviews under the changed regulations, saying that the U.S. Embassy expected the interview rate to rise to 95 percent from the previous 65 percent.

Meanwhile, reservations for visa interviews must be made online instead of by telephone starting August 22.

``An online reservation service will be launched for the first time in South Korea,’’ the U.S. Consul-General said. ``The system is aimed at promoting the efficiency and transparency of reservation services.’’

Applicants can make on-line reservations once they log on to the website of ``www.us-visaservices.com’’ and fill in information required including reservation number, object of travel to the U.S. and departure date.

Asked whether South Korea would become a ``visa waiver’’ country, Alter said that it was not likely so in the near future, by saying, ``Five percent of South Koreans have been denied U.S. visas over the past two years, a figure that falls short of three percent, the criterion to be a `visa waiver’ country.’’

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr