Foreign Minister Cho Hyun called for steps to prevent a repeat of incidents like the mass detention of South Korean workers in Georgia and voiced hope the US Congress will support visa reforms for Korean businesses, the foreign ministry said Friday.
Cho made the call during his meetings with US Sens. Todd Young, Bill Hagerty and Andy Kim in Washington between Wednesday and Thursday, following last week's major US immigration crackdown on a South Korean joint venture site in the southeastern US state.
More than 300 South Korean workers were detained for a week over potential violations of US visa rules, but they were released and boarded a South Korean chartered flight home Thursday after diplomatic negotiations resolved the issues.
The raid shocked South Korea at a time when Korean companies are ramping up their US investments amid the Trump administration's push to revive American industries.
In the meetings with the senators, Cho explained the serious concerns among the South Korean public over the detention of its professionals by US authorities. He said that yet it was resolved on the back of Trump's swift instruction and cooperation from relevant US government agencies.
Cho "underscored the need for fundamental measures to ensure our nationals will not face unfair treatment so that Korean companies can forge ahead with their investment plans in the US," the ministry said in a release.
Cho also called for congressional support for visa reform, especially creating a new visa category for South Korean businesspeople, as the two sides agreed to form a working group to better address the longstanding visa issues.
The senators welcomed the moves for visa reform and committed to providing legislative and other support.
Hagerty noted that skilled personnel visiting the US are there to handle equipment that require special expertise and that they do not take away local jobs but rather help facilitate construction of factories, contributing to job creation, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)
