Korea, US to form task force on visa issues after Georgia factory raid

Visa applicants queue outside the U.S. Embassy in Seoul’s Jongno District, Monday. Yonhap

Korea and the United States are moving to establish a bilateral working group to address structural issues in the U.S. visa system to potentially allow more flexible authorization for Korean workers.

The move to establish the working group was prompted by a recent raid at the construction site of a joint Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution battery plant in the U.S. state of Georgia, where more than 300 Korean workers were detained. The timeline for the group’s launch has been set ahead of a planned meeting between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23, in a bid to demonstrate the allies’ commitment and stem a growing erosion of trust.

According to officials, the two governments are discussing the working group’s structure and initial agenda, based on a draft proposal shared between Seoul and Washington. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Embassy in Seoul are serving as the main channels of communication.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said the body will be led by director-level officials, emphasizing that its purpose is to facilitate practical consultations rather than political declarations.

The first item on the agenda is expected to be the scope of activities permitted in the U.S. under the B-1 business visa. Many of the detained workers had traveled on B-1 visas, which are typically granted for short-term tasks such as equipment installation, testing and training, rather than direct manual labor.

Although Korean authorities claim that the workers were acting within the terms of their visas, U.S. immigration authorities classified their activities as unauthorized labor and carried out mass arrests.

The Korean government has said it will push for a broader interpretation of B-1 visa eligibility in the upcoming talks, aiming to ensure that installation and commissioning work can be carried out without workers being detained. Officials added that discussions may also include creating a dedicated visa desk at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul for Korean investors, as well as long-term measures such as introducing a new visa quota for Korean professionals, including the proposed E-4, and expanding access to the H-1B specialty occupation visa.

The sense of urgency is tied to the upcoming U.N. General Assembly at which Lee and Trump are expected to meet, either formally or informally. If the working group is not launched before the meeting, observers note that both leaders could face criticism from Korea’s corporate and political circles.

Moon Sung-mook, head of the Unification Strategy Center at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said the visa discussions themselves could help set the tone for the upcoming meeting.

“The working group must deliver visible progress on visa issues before the presidents meet in New York, because that will be read as an indicator of how effectively the alliance can handle sensitive matters,” he said.

U.S. officials have indicated their willingness to respond. During a meeting in Seoul last week, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau expressed “deep regret” over the detentions and called for the incident to serve as an opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties — the first time a senior U.S. official had directly conveyed such a sentiment.

Trump also sought to calm tensions, writing on social media on Sunday that the U.S. welcomes foreign companies and their employees and does not want to "frighten off or disincentivize Investment."

He added that America “will learn from them, and do even better than them at their own 'game,' sometime into the not too distant future,” remarks which were widely interpreted in Seoul as a signal of support for visa adjustments.

Despite the conciliatory gestures, there has been mounting criticism at home that the government was slow to act. Korean companies have repeatedly raised concerns about visa problems since last year, citing rejected Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and denied reapplications.

However, officials only began a comprehensive review after the incident in Georgia. Opposition lawmakers have accused the administration of delivering “an investment windfall to Washington while failing to protect its workers abroad,” labeling the episode a diplomatic setback.

The foreign ministry has stated that it will investigate allegations of mistreatment at the U.S. detention facility where the arrested workers were held based on accounts from returnees and raise the matter if necessary.

With the two presidents preparing for their second meeting of the year, the outcome of the visa negotiations will be watched closely as an indication of whether Seoul and Washington can transform the crisis into an opportunity to strengthen their alliance.