South Korea and the United States will discuss the creation of a new visa category for Korean workers, Seoul’s foreign minister has said, following a U.S. immigration raid in which 475 workers were detained at a Hyundai Motor electric vehicle battery plant in Georgia.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, said he had received assurances that South Koreans set to be released would not face disadvantages if they sought to re-enter the United States, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Cho flew to Washington to address what has become a diplomatic flashpoint after about 300 South Koreans employed at the plant were detained by U.S. immigration authorities last week.
He confirmed that a chartered plane carrying the workers would leave the United States on Thursday and that those being deported would not be handcuffed during their transfer from the detention centre to the airport. U.S. immigration authorities typically handcuff and shackle immigrants on deportation flights.
There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or the State Department.
Cho told Rubio that South Koreans were “hurt and shocked” by the arrests of workers “who came to the U.S. to transfer technology and know-how to contribute to the Trump administration’s efforts to revive the U.S. manufacturing industry,” according to South Korea’s foreign ministry.
Korean companies have long complained about strict U.S. visa limits for skilled foreign workers, arguing that the restrictions hinder factory construction projects and the training of American employees.
