SEOUL – South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun announced on September 19 that the government will work to resolve issues faced by South Korean workers with US visas before advancing a major $350 billion investment package tied to a bilateral trade agreement with the United States.
His statement follows a recent US immigration raid at a Hyundai Motor battery plant in Georgia, where hundreds of South Korean workers were arrested and subsequently repatriated, intensifying demands from businesses for a new, streamlined visa category for skilled workers to support US factory setup and training initiatives.
While Minister Cho clarified that visa policy reforms are not a precondition for the planned investments in US strategic industries, he emphasized the government’s commitment to safeguarding the interests of South Korean companies and employees operating abroad.
Addressing diplomatic developments, Cho also noted an expectation that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders’ summit hosted by South Korea in late October. He relayed South Korea’s willingness to expand cultural cooperation with China, despite ongoing Chinese restrictions on importing South Korean K-pop and entertainment content, a stance linked to lingering tensions over the deployment of the US-led Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) missile shield in South Korea.