South Korean and U.S. government delegations held a third round of consultations under the “South Korea-U.S. Business Travel and Visa Working Group.”
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the meeting was held in Seoul on Jan. 28. The South Korean delegation was led by Kim Seon Young, director general for bilateral economic diplomacy, and the U.S. side included Jonathan Fritz, senior deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs.
The U.S. side said a “Specialized Trainers” item has been added to the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual for B-1 (temporary business visitor) visas. It also said the U.S. Embassy in Seoul updated a new Korean- and English-language fact sheet on its website to clarify what activities B-1 visa and ESTA holders may conduct in the United States, reflecting the manual revision.
The ministry said the specialized-trainer purpose includes providing training to U.S. workers and transferring specialized or proprietary techniques, skills or know-how. Requirements include having unique and scarce expertise not widely available in the United States; supporting a specific project related to industrial equipment, machinery or processes obtained or procured by a company outside the United States; and not receiving compensation in the United States.
The two sides also reviewed the results of the working group and the operation of the KIT Desk, a dedicated channel at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul for companies investing in the United States. They discussed ways to create an opportunity in the first half of this year to explain visa-related issues to South Korean companies.
They exchanged views on ensuring South Korean investment in the United States proceeds smoothly in strategic industries such as shipbuilding and held in-depth talks on mid- to long-term improvements.
South Korea and the United States agreed to continue consultations at the next meeting to improve visa issues affecting personnel at South Korean companies investing in the United States and to keep monitoring progress, the ministry said.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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