September 19, 2025
SEOUL – Seoul has launched a “pan-government task force for addressing US visa issues,” formed in the wake of the unprecedented mass detention of South Korean workers by US immigration authorities.
The Foreign Ministry said it held the task force’s first plenary meeting on Thursday, with participation from the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups on the government side.
The Korea Enterprises Federation and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Businesses also take part in the task force to “ensure that the opinions of Korean companies are fully reflected in consultations with the US and that the public and private sectors can respond together,” according to the Foreign Ministry.
South Korea has gone all out to push for improvements to the US visa system after 317 South Koreans were arrested and detained during the Sept. 4 immigration raid at an EV battery plant being built by HL-GA Battery Co., a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution.
At the task force’s first meeting, participants reviewed key issues ahead of the inaugural working-group talks on visa matters that Seoul and Washington have agreed to set up.
The Foreign Ministry explained the meeting “examined matters necessary for consultations with the US — including Korean companies’ difficulties in visa issuance, their demand and plans for dispatching personnel — and discussed plans for consultations with the US, including the items the Korean side will raise with the US side to address visa issues.”
“The pan-government task force decided to hold meetings regularly and to discuss whole-of-government responses to resolve difficulties related to the entry of personnel from Korean companies investing in the US and to improve visa procedures,” the Foreign Ministry added.
Most of the detained Korean workers had entered the US on nonimmigrant short-term business visas — either B-1 visas or Electronic System for Travel Authorization permits — which are intended for brief business visits rather than employment.
South Koreans can work in the US on H-1B visas. However, only about 2,000 are granted each year for Koreans, which is much less than the H-1B cap of around 85,000 slots.
Against that backdrop, South Korean companies see the lack of appropriate US work visa options for their employees as a fundamental reason they resort to using such short-term visas. They view the insufficient visa issuance as a major obstacle to their US investments.
This concern contrasts sharply with South Korea’s status as the largest foreign investor in the US in 2023, with $21.5 billion invested. In addition, the Lee Jae Myung administration has pledged $350 billion in additional investment under a new trade framework signed in July, while South Korean companies separately committed $150 billion in US investments at the Aug. 25 summit in Washington.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
