Korean complaints over US visa issues surge, but gov't records show no investigations

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs faces scrutiny for failing to track U.S. visa denials and cancellations affecting Korean workers and companies. Yonhap

The government has admitted it has no official statistics or investigation records on U.S. visa problems affecting Korean workers and companies, even as complaints over entry denials and cancellations continue to rise.

According to Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Power Party on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has “no official data” on visa cancellations or entry refusals related to Korean businesses operating in the United States.

This means the government has not tracked the scale of the problem since before the detention of 316 Korean workers in Georgia last month, which caused widespread concern.

Even as visa-related grievances mounted earlier this year, the government failed to conduct a coordinated review across ministries, leading to criticism that the issue was overlooked during major diplomatic meetings.

Following the Georgia incident, the two countries held their first visa working group meeting in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 30 to address the issue.

Entry denials continue despite new cooperation

Cases of Korean business travelers being denied entry to the U.S. continue to surface.

On Sept. 23, a Korean technician identified as A, who traveled to Indiana on a short-term business visa (B-1) to install equipment at a Korean firm’s factory, was turned away at the airport by U.S. immigration officers and forced to return to Korea.

Similar cases have increased since early this year, coinciding with the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.

According to Foreign Ministry data, there were 11 formal complaints from Korean companies about U.S. visa problems between 2023 and 2025, more than half of which were filed by July 1 this year.

In response, the government has launched a task force to investigate visa-related discrimination and other issues.

The interagency group, dubbed the “Task Force for Improving U.S. Visa Issues,” is currently surveying the 316 Koreans detained in Georgia to determine whether they experienced human rights violations.

A government official said, “Face-to-face interviews are ongoing, and the investigation has not yet been completed. The task force will also review broader visa-related difficulties that have emerged since the detention incident.”

The Foreign Ministry added that it is “working closely with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Economy and Finance to handle corporate inquiries about U.S. visa issues,” and that when visas are denied, “it communicates with the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to identify the reasons and help applicants resubmit complete documentation.”

Rep. Ahn criticized the government’s lack of oversight, saying, “Cases of visa cancellation and entry denial are continuing even after the Georgia incident. This shows the government’s response remains inadequate and must become much more proactive.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.