South Korea, U.S. hold 1st meeting of working group to address visa issues

South Korea and the United States held the first meeting of a bilateral working group in Washington on Tuesday to address visa issues for South Korean businessmen investing in the U.S., the South Korean foreign ministry said Wednesday.

The South Korea-U.S. visa working group was launched and had its inaugural meeting, attended by Jung Ki-hong, South Korean representative for its nationals overseas protection and consular affairs, and Kevin Kim, the U.S. State Department's senior bureau official for East Asian and Pacific affairs.

The meeting came after the detention and the release of 316 South Korean workers in the September 4 U.S. immigration raid at the construction site of an electric vehicle battery plant operated by a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution.

The raid followed South Korea's verbal agreement in late July to invest $350 billion in the United States in exchange for the U.S. tariffs cut on South Korean goods.

During the working group meeting, the U.S. side agreed to take necessary measures such as setting up a dedicated desk at the U.S. embassy in Seoul, tentatively named the Korean Investor Desk.

The U.S. side reaffirmed that South Korean companies may use the B-1 short-term business visitor visa for activities related to their investment process in the United States, such as installing, servicing, and repairing equipment purchased from overseas, and that business travelers under the ESTA visa waiver program may carry out the same activities as B-1 visa holders.

The two sides agreed to establish mutual communication lines among South Korea's diplomatic missions in the United States, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.