The head of the American Chamber of Commerce in South Korea has urged the U.S. government to take measures to address growing complaints against its new tightened visa policy in South Korea.

In a subcommittee hearing of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, William Oberlin testified that it is necessary for the U.S. government to aggressively explain the new visa policy to South Koreans in order to minimize the negative impact on bilateral business relationships.

Oberlin said that, due to increased security and a one-size-fits-all approach, the United States is losing business and students and, more importantly, friends and influence at a time when America can ill afford the loss.

In May, Secretary of State Colin Powell announced new guidelines that doubled the number of requisite face-to-face interviews in South Korea and most other countries from 35 percent to 70 percent of all visa applications.

Oberlin warned that the new U.S. policy may increase anti-U.S. sentiment in South Korea, a key U.S. ally in Asia.

According to the U.S. Commercial Service, about 700-thousand Korean passport holders spent almost 21 billion dollars in the U.S. last year.

Currently, citizens from the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and France do not need tourist visas to enter the U.S.