SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - The first meeting of a working group between South Korea and the United States to address visa issues, which came to prominence after the large-scale detention of South Korean workers by US immigration authorities, is scheduled to take place on Sept. 30 (local time) in Washington D.C., South Korean diplomatic sources said Sunday.
The meeting comes 26 days after 317 South Korean nationals were detained while working at the construction site of the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Georgia.
The working group will be jointly led by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Department of State. The US delegation is also expected to include officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Commerce.
The group is tasked with resolving visa problems for Koreans connected to major U.S. investments, with discussions expected to focus initially on clarifying the permitted scope of work under the B1 business visa, a non-immigrant visa for short-term business activities.
In addition, the two sides plan to review the establishment of a separate visa desk at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul dedicated to processing applications for Korean businesspeople involved in U.S. investment.
The South Korean government is expected to push for the creation of a separate visa category for Korean companies through the working group.
Beyond merely clarifying B1 visa guidelines, discussions will reportedly explore creating a new, appropriate visa for Korean personnel who need to stay in the U.S. for several months to manage factory installation, personnel training, and other essential duties.
There will also be discussions on pursuing legislation — potentially with the U.S. Congress — to establish a separate visa quota specifically for highly skilled Korean professionals, the sources said.
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