South Korean students warned over social media posts amid Trump administration crackdown

SEOUL – US President Donald Trump’s administration is raising scrutiny over the social media posts of South Korean students in the US or those planning to study there, the students and agencies that support them said.

That has triggered concerns for parents of students studying or planning to study in the US. South Korean students are the third-largest among international students in the US, behind those from India and China.

The US administration ordered its missions abroad to

stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants

as the State Department prepared to expand social media vetting of foreign students, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters on May 27.

The Trump administration has sought to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of wide-ranging efforts to meet its hardline immigration agenda.

“My clients and parents are calling me constantly today to figure out what is going on,” said Mr Park Hyun-tae, head of Worldnet US Overseas Edu Centre – an agency in Seoul that assists South Korean students.

He said that those who have already scheduled interviews, and those looking to apply for them, are worried and nervous, but so far there have not been any cancellations of existing interviews.

Mr Park added that the visa interview pause could cause delays in starting the school year and that he was advising clients to be cautious over what they post online.

“I am telling them, especially male students, do not post anything extreme or disgusting on social media, like pictures of grenades or weapons,” he said.

An e-mail reviewed by Reuters from a liberal arts college told overseas students that scheduled visa interviews might be postponed and suggested they give their “socials a little attention”.

Stiff competition to get into South Korea’s top universities has driven many students to study abroad, according to the US International Trade Administration.

One South Korean student studying in the US said he had friends who were unable to schedule visa interviews, and that he was concerned about his own plans to try to work in the US after graduation.

“I think what is now the United States is a lot different than the United States in the past,” he said, asking not to be identified. REUTERS