Minister Cho to Discuss Follow-up Measures
Talks to Focus on Preventing Recurrence
The recent arrest and detention of Korean workers in Georgia, United States, has prompted calls for comprehensive measures to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents, particularly regarding visa issues. Given that South Korea has pledged large-scale investments in the United States totaling 500 billion dollars (approximately 700 trillion won) through Korea-U.S. trade negotiations and summits, there is a consensus that such incidents must not lead to cracks in the bilateral relationship.
According to diplomatic sources on September 8, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will depart for Washington, D.C. later this afternoon via Incheon International Airport. Minister Cho is expected to discuss follow-up procedures related to the incident during his visit to the United States. In particular, he is likely to meet with high-ranking officials in the U.S. administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to address the situation and discuss measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Over the weekend, we interviewed Korean nationals who were detained and requested consular meetings, and found no issues with detention facilities or racial discrimination." The official added, "We are currently working out the details to ensure all detained nationals can return home safely and as soon as possible via chartered flight, and plan to facilitate their early return once administrative procedures are completed."
The diplomatic community is focusing on resolving the incident quickly. Both diplomats and industry officials argue that this incident highlights the need to improve the visa system. The root cause of the situation lies in the difficulty of obtaining H-1B visas (non-immigrant, employment), and E1 or L1 visas (for expatriates), which has led some to resort to using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) or B1 visas (short-term business) as a workaround. In fact, the United States issues 85,000 H-1B visas annually, but unlike other countries with free trade agreements such as Australia, South Korea does not have a separate quota, and the number of approvals for Koreans remains around 2,000 per year. The E1 and L1 visas are also limited by stringent and restrictive conditions.
The government is also working to resolve visa issues through institutional reforms. Although the visa issue was raised during the recent Korea-U.S. summit, no significant progress was reported. In addition, since 2012, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been pushing for the enactment of the "Partner with Korea Act," which would create a new annual quota of 15,000 E-4 visas (professional employment visas) for Korean professionals.
It is regrettable that these efforts have not produced meaningful results. Even during the discussions between the two countries around the recent summit, the visa issue saw little advancement. The attempt to enact the Partner with Korea Act has also failed to yield results for over a decade. The main reason appears to be the rise of anti-immigration sentiment in the United States since the 2000s, leading to a lack of proactive engagement from the U.S. political sphere on this matter.
Regarding this, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official commented, "Minister Cho is expected to raise the fundamental visa issues with the U.S. side while requesting cooperation in resolving this incident," and added, "We will identify the difficulties faced by companies through meetings between government ministries and economic organizations, comprehensively review what kind of visa system would meet the needs of our businesses, and work to negotiate with the U.S. accordingly."
Meanwhile, as President Trump has directly addressed workforce issues in connection with this incident, there is growing interest in whether related institutional improvements will follow. President Trump stated, "I fully understand what they (Korea) have said," and added, "I will review this matter."
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