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| ▲ This photo, captured from the social media X account of the Atlanta bureau of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, shows agents carrying out a raid at the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution venture's electric vehicle battery plant construction site in Ellabell, located in Bryan County, west of Savannah, in Georgia on Sept. 4, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
govt-US crackdown
Gov't holds meeting with Korean firms to discuss U.S. visa system following U.S. immigration crackdown
SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- The government held an emergency meeting Monday with South Korean companies investing in the United States to discuss the visa system between the two countries following the arrest of some 300 Koreans by U.S. immigration authorities, sources said.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a meeting with officials from a business lobby group, the Federation of Korean Industries, and major Korean companies, including Samsung Electronics Co., Hyundai Motor Group, LG Energy Solution Ltd. (LGES), SK On Co. and SK hynix Inc., to discuss issues related to the incident, according to the sources familiar with the matter.
The ministry is said to have checked the current status of ongoing investment projects in the U.S. by Korean companies in the meeting and discussed the visa issue for sending Korean workforce to the U.S.
Last week, U.S. immigration authorities detained around 300 South Korean nationals during a raid on a battery plant construction site jointly operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Bryan County, Georgia, accusing them of unlawfully working there without a proper visa.
Most of the detainees are known to have traveled to the U.S. with a B1 visa, issued for business purposes, such as attending meetings or signing contracts, or under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)
In light of the event, many Korean business officials reportedly asked the government to make efforts to improve the visa system between Seoul and Washington in order for the companies to invest in the U.S. in a stable environment.
Seoul has been in talks with Washington to arrange the detained South Koreans' return under voluntary departure, with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun set to fly to the U.S. later in the day to finalize related arrangements.
Cho is also expected to request the U.S. to consider taking measures to revise the visa system and related policies to prevent similar cases from recurring.
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