September 15, 2025
SEOUL – US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Sunday voiced “deep regret” over the mass detention of Korean workers in the Sept. 4 immigration raid in Georgia, calling for institutional improvement to prevent a recurrence, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.
Landau met with South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Seoul. The two discussed alliance affairs, including resolving the detainee case and improving the visa system, implementing follow-up measures from the Aug. 25 South Korea–US summit, and broader regional and global affairs, the ministry said.
The Korea-US vice foreign ministerial meeting took place only two days after the return of 316 South Korean nationals on Friday, eight days after their detention during the immigration raid on Sept. 4 at an EV battery plant being built by HL-GA Battery Co., a joint venture between South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution.
Sunday’s remarks by the number two US diplomat notably marked the first time a senior US official has voiced regret over the unprecedented mass detention of Korean workers.
“Deputy Secretary Landau also expressed deep regret over the fact that this incident occurred and said that this incident should be used as a turning point for institutional improvement and for strengthening the (South) Korea–US relationship,” the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said in a Korean-language press statement.
“In particular, he (Landau) said that the returnees will face no disadvantages when re-entering the US, as President Trump is paying close attention to this issue and that efforts will be made to ensure that no similar incidents occur in the future,” the ministry added.
At the beginning of the meeting, Park “expressed regret that not only the workers but also the Korean public had been deeply shocked by this incident, referring to the unfair treatment that Korean company workers had to endure in US detention facilities,” according to the ministry.
“Vice Minister Park strongly urged the US side to take concrete measures to prevent a recurrence and improve the system in order to ease public anxiety,” the ministry’s press statement read.
Park specifically emphasized that South Korean returnees must not face any disadvantages upon reentry into the US and called for expediting follow-up measures — including creating a new visa category tailored for South Korea and establishing a working group between South Korea’s Foreign Ministry and the US State Department to discuss visa issues.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau speaks during a vice foreign ministerial-level meeting at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Seoul on Sunday. PHOTO: SOUTH KOREA’S FOREIGN MINISTRY/THE KOREA HERALD
Landau responded positively.
Landau noted that “the US fully recognizes the significant contribution of Korean companies’ investment activities to the revival of the US economy and manufacturing sector,” according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul.
Landau pledged that Washington “will provide institutional support for those efforts and move quickly to hold working-level consultations on the follow-up measures mentioned by Vice Minister Park, including ensuring that visas commensurate with the contributions of Korean workers are issued.”
Landau also met with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Sunday morning prior to his meeting with Park. Cho was the one who first proposed establishing a working group and creating a new visa category during his meeting in Washington on Wednesday with US Secretary of State and White House National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, and Deputy National Security Adviser Andy Baker.
Most of the detained Korean workers had entered the US on nonimmigrant short-term business visas — either B-1 visas or Electronic System for Travel Authorization permits — which are meant for brief business visits rather than employment.
South Korean companies view such visa challenges as a major obstacle to their US investments — a concern that contrasts sharply with South Korea’s status as the largest foreign investor in the United States in 2023, with $21.5 billion invested.
Seoul has also pledged $350 billion in additional investment under a new trade framework. Yet only about 2,000 South Koreans with specialty occupations receive H-1B visas annually, out of roughly 85,000 issued.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com