Minister Cho of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 10th (local time) that more than 300 Koreans detained by U.S. immigration authorities will return home on the 11th and that the U.S. government assured that they will not face any disadvantages when reentering the United States in the future.
Meeting reporters at the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., that day, the Minister said, "After meeting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio this morning, I met National Security Deputy Advisor Andy Baker at the White House in the afternoon to reconfirm what I agreed with Secretary Rubio and to check on its implementation."
Cho explained, "Those currently detained will be able to return home tomorrow on a charter flight, and we received renewed confirmation from the U.S. side that they will not be handcuffed in the process." She then emphasized that concerns about disadvantages upon reentry were blocked, saying, "We also received an assurance that there will be no problem for them to work again in the United States going forward."
The Minister also said that, regarding the entry of Korean professionals into the United States, she proposed creating a new visa category and "agreed to swiftly consult by forming a working group between the Department of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
After arriving in the United States on the night of the 8th, she said, "I came with a truly heavy heart. I thought hard about how to convey our grievances and the public's anger to the United States." Regarding the outcome of her meeting with Secretary Rubio on the "U.S. circumstances" that delayed the release and return of the Koreans, she said, "It made me think in many ways that this was fortunate."
On the background to resolving this situation, she said, "I believe it was thanks to the trust built between the two leaders as the recent South Korea–U.S. summit proceeded smoothly." As for the background of the U.S. immigration authorities' mass arrest and detention of Koreans, she added, "Various conspiracy theories are being raised, but we need time to conduct a precise analysis."