US Official Expresses Regretโ Overโ Georgiaโ Raid on Korean Workers, Seeks Stronger Ties
SEOUL – A senior US diplomat conveyed regret Sunday regarding a recent immigration raid in Georgiaโ thatโ resulted in the detention ofโ hundreds of South Korean workers, and proposed using โthe incident as a catalyst to bolster US-South korean relations.
The expression of regret came during a meeting in Seoul between South Korean First โVice-Foreign Minister โPark Yoon-joo and USโ deputy Secretary of State christopher Landau. Accordingโ to a statementโข released byโฃ the โขSouth Korean foreign ministry,Park urged Landau to expedite bilateral discussions on measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. These measures includeโ establishingโ clearer guidelines for existing business visas โand creating a new visa category specifically for Korean professionals involvedโ in large-scale Korean investment projects within the United States.
The โขraid, which took place at a Hyundai Motor battery plant in Ellabell, โฃGeorgia, detained approximately 300 South Korean workers and sparked significant concern in South Korea. the workers returned home โขFriday to โemotional welcomes from family members.
Landau reportedly emphasized the importance of accelerating working-level consultations to ensure visa issuance reflectsโ the valuable contributions of Korean workers, highlighting the role of Korean investment โขin revitalizing โUSโ manufacturing. He also referenced a decisionโ by President Donaldโข Trump assuring the workersโ would not be disadvantaged upon any future attempts โฃto โre-enterโ the US.
The South Korean government is seeking assurances to preventโฃ a recurrence of the โraid. The US Embassy in Seoul has โnot yetโค provided a comment on the matter.โค Park described landau’s visitโฃ as “timely” considering the recent โคevents.