S. Korea Presses U.S. to Fix Visa Complications

(MENAFN) South Korea is urgently pressing Washington to resolve visa complications that have disrupted Korean workers amid stalled talks over a $350 billion investment deal.

In a Thursday interview with media, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok stressed the visa issue’s critical impact, stating, “meaningful progress remains virtually impossible” without a solution.

The visa crisis escalated earlier this month when over 300 Korean workers were detained during a raid at a Hyundai-LG Energy Solution battery plant construction site in Georgia. Although the workers were freed a week later, the incident left deep scars.

Kim remarked, "The detention incident dealt a severe blow not only to the general Korean public, but especially to the workers." He added that both the workers and their families remain “understandably reluctant to enter the US again,” while the issue remains unresolved.

While projects have not been “entirely halted,” Kim warned, “it will be very difficult for a large number of workers to enter or re-enter the US until this problem is resolved.”

In July, Seoul and Washington reached a preliminary agreement whereby the US would lower tariffs on South Korean imports from 25% to 15%, in exchange for Seoul’s pledge to invest $350 billion in the US economy. Yet, negotiations are currently deadlocked over how to structure the investment fund.

If no deal is struck, South Korean imports risk facing the original 25% tariff rate again.

Earlier this month, South Korea’s presidential office affirmed it would not rush into signing the trade agreement if it risks harming South Korean firms. The office stated, “Seoul cannot sign an agreement that would cause major losses to our companies just because of time pressure,” emphasizing a goal to conclude talks “at an early date” but refusing terms that “cause serious harm” to national interests.

Meanwhile, according to media, South Korea’s Korea Trade Commission announced a preliminary recommendation to the Economy and Finance Ministry to impose anti-dumping tariffs ranging from 21.17% to 43.6% on industrial robots imported from China and Japan, following an initial investigation that found potential damage to domestic industries.

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