Washington: South Korea and the United States have initiated a joint effort to address visa-related challenges faced by skilled Korean workers. This development follows the detention of Korean workers during a recent U.S. immigration raid, which raised concerns about the U.S.'s reliability as an investment partner.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the inaugural session of the "Business Travel and Visa Working Group" was held in Washington. This meeting comes after the arrest of over 310 Korean nationals on September 4 at a construction site for a Hyundai-LG Energy Solution joint venture. The workers were subsequently released.

During the meeting, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau highlighted the essential role of skilled personnel in the success of foreign investments. He reiterated the U.S.'s commitment to welcoming and encouraging investment, especially from South Korea.

The U.S. State Department stated that the government is closely collaborating with South Korea to enhance the bilateral trade and investment partnership. This includes processing appropriate visas for qualified visitors from the Republic of Korea (ROK) to continue their investments in compliance with U.S. laws.

The meeting was co-chaired by Jung Ki-hong, representing South Korea's interests in protecting nationals overseas, and Kevin Kim, the senior bureau official for East Asian and Pacific affairs from the U.S. Department of State.

The detention incident occurred after South Korea committed to a significant investment of US$350 billion in the U.S. as part of a bilateral trade agreement reached in late July. Both countries have been working to finalize the details of this investment package.