‘Hurt and shocked’: South Korea seeks clarity, changes on US visa rules

South Korea is urging Washington to clarify its regulations for foreign workers following a recent raid at a car battery facility in southwest Georgia that led to hundreds of Korean nationals being detained.

Around 500 US law enforcement officials descended at the HL-GA Battery facility, a joint venture between Hyundai Motors and LG Energy, on September 4 and detained at least 300 South Koreans over alleged visa violations.

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with his US counterpart Marco Rubio at Washington on Wednesday to discuss the creation of a new visa category for South Korean workers, the ministry said in a statement.

Cho said that South Koreans are ‘hurt and shocked’ by the arrests of their fellow citizens, who came to the US to help the Trump administration’s efforts in reshoring the country’s manufacturing capabilities.

The minister earlier met with executives from South Korean businesses operating in the US, including Hyundai and LG, who are pushing for a separate visa for highly skilled South Korean workers and more visa approvals for individuals working for South Korean companies investing in the US.

They also asked for clarification on the guidelines governing B-1 visas, a short-term business visa that employees of South Korean companies usually obtain for work trips to the US. Many of the detained workers held such a visa.

Cho said that these concerns have been forwarded to Washington and pledged to continue making efforts to ensure the smooth operation of South Korean companies in the US.

The South Korean government is under increasing pressure to stand up to the US over the treatment of its arrested citizens, some of whom were seen on camera being led away in chains. 

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday raised concerns that the raid could ‘considerably impact’ future investments of South Korean businesses in the US.

“South Korean firms doing business in the US must be left baffled now,” Lee said at a news conference marking his 100th day in office. “Companies are quite taken aback. The fact is that they sent these workers to the U.S. not for the long term, but to set up machinery in a factory because there aren’t enough workers in the U.S. who know how to do that.”

Lee highlighted the importance of South Korean technicians in installing mechanical equipment needed to revive America’s factories, noting that ‘no US technicians could do that work’.

“Our workers train local staff and then return home. If that’s impossible, South Korean companies will ask themselves whether they should continue building plants in the US while fearing (potential) disadvantages and challenges,” he added.

Despite these concerns, Lee expressed hope that the two countries could iron out a solution that would make it easier for South Korean firms to send workers to the US for a limited time.