Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, commented on the recent arrest and detention of Korean workers in Georgia, USA, saying, "Measures are needed to secure visa quotas and prevent recurrence to ensure the safety of our nationals and smooth business operations in the U.S."
The visa quota refers to the establishment of a separate employment visa (E-4) for Korean professionals. The United States allocates annual professional visa issuance quotas by country for its free trade agreement (FTA) partners such as Mexico and Canada (unlimited), Singapore (5,400), and Australia (10,500). Despite being an FTA signatory, Korea lacks a quota and must apply for a professional employment (H-1B) visa, with the number of Korean recipients of H-1B visas remaining around 2,000 for several years.
During the opening remarks at the "Democratic Party of Korea-KORCHAM Policy Meeting" held on the 8th at the Chamber Lounge of KORCHAM in Jung-gu, Seoul, Chairman Chey Tae-won expressed gratitude on behalf of the economic sector, stating, "I would like to thank the government for its prompt response that led to a resolution of the worker arrest and detention incident at the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant construction site in Georgia last weekend within three days."
Earlier, on the 4th (local time), U.S. immigration authorities conducted a surprise enforcement operation at the construction site of the Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Georgia. As a result of this operation, 475 individuals were arrested and detained, including over 300 Korean workers. Many of the Korean employees were working locally with short-term business (B1, B2) visas or using the visa waiver program (ESTA) and fell under the enforcement action.
The meeting was organized to discuss economic issues between the economic sector and the Democratic Party of Korea ahead of the full-scale legislative discussions at the regular National Assembly session. The Democratic Party was represented by Chairman Jung Cheong-rae, along with Supreme Council member Lee Un-joo, Policy Committee Chair Han Jung-ae, and Senior Vice Chair Yoo Dong-soo. From the economic sector, Chairman Chey and Samsung Electronics President Park Seung-hee, SK Supex Communication Committee Chairman Lee Hyung-hee, and Hyundai Motor Vice President Kim Dong-wook were in attendance.
Chairman Chey expressed concern, saying, "It seems that the stagnation of growth in Korea will persist for a long time," and emphasized that, "The export-oriented growth strategy has reached its limits, necessitating the establishment of a new strategy, and as corporations grow, the current system must be improved, where compensation decreases and burdens increase." He added, "I will regularly make policy suggestions and submit them all at once by the end of the year."
Following Chairman Chey's opening remarks during the closed meeting, the economic sector raised concerns and requested supplementary measures regarding political legislative actions related to U.S. tariffs, industry support plans stemming from the Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA) negotiations, the second amendment to the Commercial Act, and the Yellow Envelope Law (amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Union Act). They also suggested rationalization measures regarding excessive economic penalties.