South Korea says to provide clear visa guidelines for its companies operating in US

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By Ju-min Park

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s top security adviser Wi Sung-lac said on Friday that the government would talk to U.S. officials in order to provide clear visa guidelines for Korean companies operating there and to ease concerns for workers remaining in the United States.

Wi made the comments as the administration in Seoul seeks to avoid a repeat of a recent U.S. immigration raid on a battery factory that led to the arrest of hundreds of Korean workers.

Some 300 South Korean workers returned home on Friday, one week after being detained in the massive immigration raid that sent shockwaves across South Korea, a key U.S. ally.

“I think other workplaces in the U.S. have similar issues. And those people (Korean workers in the U.S) have questions and concerns on whether it is safe to come on B-1 visas and work,” Wi said, referring to a short-term U.S. business visa often used by South Korean nationals.

“Most urgently, the government’s role is to consult with the U.S. and provide clear guidelines on what’s allowed or not,” he told a press conference.

The detention of the Korean workers took place as a collateral effect of U.S. immigration authorities searching for four target individuals, Wi said.

The situation could have been easier if there was a clear sense over what B-1 visa holders were allowed to do, Wi said, noting the different interpretations by some U.S. authorities and Korean businesses.

The detained Korean workers did not acknowledge any criminal activities or wrongdoing in their declaration forms when they left the United States, Wi said, ensuring they should not face any problems in re-entering the country.

In the longer-term, South Korea will work with the U.S. toward creating a new visa or a quota for Korean professionals, he said, though added that there may be challenges given the “changeable” nature of President Donald Trump’s administration.

The emotional return of hundreds of workers capped a week of intense negotiations by Seoul to win their release and bring them home after they were taken into custody in handcuffs and shackles.

After the raid, Trump had suggested that the Koreans stay in the U.S. if they wished, and the negotiations with U.S. officials were straightforward, Wi said.

“What happened in the initial stages was something we expressed regret and protested against. However, the subsequent negotiations with the U.S. were not that negative or difficult,” Wi said.

“Overall, things went well. They listened to our concerns, responded, and tried to engage positively,” he said.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Ed Davies)