Seoul, Washington agree to seek practical support for legitimate Korean workers entering US

South Korea and the United States agreed Wednesday to seek practical support to ensure a smooth entry into the US of South Korean businesses investing in the country, as they held follow-up talks on visa issues, Seoul’s foreign ministry said.

The latest visa dialogue came as the two countries agreed to explore ways to better address US visas for South Korean companies and their employees visiting the US, after the arrest and detention of more than 300 Korean workers in a US immigration raid in Georgia in early September.

The workers were released after swift negotiations between Seoul and Washington. The incident led the two sides agreeing to set up the working group dialogue and install a visa desk at the US Embassy in Seoul solely for Korean businesses.

“Both sides shared the understanding that business and employment-related visas are essential for Korean companies building factories in the US and they agreed to actively explore ways to practically support the smooth entry of legitimate visa holders,” the ministry said in a release.

They discussed ways to operate the Korean Investment and Travel Task Force in a way that “facilitates US visa issuances and entry procedures for South Korean nationals,” it said.

The two sides also agreed on the need for additional measures to address the needs and difficulties faced by South Korean businesses regarding US visas and entry procedures, the ministry added.

In a media note, the US State Department said that the latest meeting underscored the importance both sides placed on facilitating Korea’s investments in the US while concurrently supporting the “legitimate” travel of Korean workers to facilitate those investments and train American workers.

“The US and ROK reaffirmed their commitment to further collaboration in this regard,” it said. ROK is short for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

It added, “The US strongly supports investment that drives American reindustrialization, strengthens the US-ROK alliance and enhances our shared prosperity.”

In addition, it highlighted that the US government continues to work closely with Korea to advance the bilateral trade and investment partnership, including by processing visas for eligible Korean visitors to continue investing in America in compliance with US laws.

The talks were led by Jung Ki-hong, ambassador for overseas Koreans’ protection and consular affairs, and Jonathan Fritz, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.

The meeting was also joined by officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups on the Korean side, with those from the US State Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

The inaugural in-person talks were held on Sept. 30. The second meeting on Wednesday took place virtually. (Yonhap)

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