Seoul and Washington held talks on Thursday focusing on the implementation of joint agreements reached at recent summits and enhancing cooperation on visa issues for South Korean workers in the United States, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
The discussions took place between South Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs, Park Jong-han, and Jonathan Fritz, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the US State Department, according to Yonhap News Agency citing the ministry.
Fritz is currently on a visit to Seoul to continue dialogues related to US visa reforms. This working group was established following an incident last year in Georgia where over 300 South Korean workers were detained during US immigration enforcement operations.
The meeting occurred as Seoul sought to reassure Washington of its commitment to investments worth $350 billion in the US. This move gained urgency after US President Donald Trump warned of increased tariffs on South Korea, citing slow legislative progress in the National Assembly.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Deputy Minister Park reiterated the government’s dedication to faithfully implementing follow-up actions from the South Korea-US summits and suggested maintaining close diplomatic communications between the two countries’ officials.
Park also called for continuous cooperation from Washington to ensure smooth business exchanges for South Korean companies investing in the United States.
During a working group meeting on Wednesday, the US announced the establishment of a new category called “specialized trainers” for short-term B-1 business visa applicants, aiming to bring greater clarity to visa eligibility.
South Korean companies have expressed concerns that unclear US visa regulations cause confusion for their employees during business travel.
Both sides also discussed measures to ensure that South Korean investors can smoothly advance their activities in strategic sectors such as shipbuilding and other industries in the US.
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