The U.S. Embassy in Korea on the afternoon of the 5th officially launched the dedicated "KIT (Korean Investment & Travel) desk," a one-stop window to support Korean corporations' business trips to the United States and entry procedures. This is a follow-up measure arranged as discussions on improving the two countries' visa systems gained speed after the detention of more than 300 Korean workers in Georgia in September.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on this day Vice Minister Kim Jin-a visited the U.S. Embassy in Korea's KIT desk and, together with Chargé d'Affaires Kevin Kim, reviewed this year's outcomes and future plans of the "Korea-U.S. business visit and visa working group."
Vice Minister Kim said, "This year's Korea-U.S. working group discussions were carried out successfully," and added, "Next year as well, let's continue holding regular working group meetings and keep preparing high-impact improvement measures that our corporations can feel through working-level channels." Kim went on to emphasize the need for institutional support, saying, "Korea's investment projects in the United States contribute to rebuilding U.S. manufacturing and creating jobs."
The KIT dedicated desk was newly established based on the discussions at the first working group meeting held in late September in Washington, D.C., and the second meeting on Oct. 22. The two countries agreed to set up a dedicated window within the U.S. Embassy in Korea to resolve recurring difficulties in the visa and entry process for corporations investing in the United States and their partner firms.
The U.S. government has already clarified, through a joint fact sheet, the scope of activities permitted under the short-term business B-1 visa and the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), and officially confirmed that tasks related to factory construction such as installation, inspection, and maintenance are allowed under those visas. This is seen as a measure to prevent a recurrence related to the interpretation of "employment activities," which became controversial during the Georgia detention case.
The KIT dedicated desk coordinates visa issues comprehensively not only for large corporations but also for mid-sized and small partner firms, and a dedicated space for corporate consultations, the "KIT boardroom," was installed on the embassy's first floor. The desk has already been in pilot operation since October and has conducted individual meetings with major investing corporations such as LG, Hyundai Motor, and SK to identify visa demand and provide initial support.
In addition, procedures were improved to allow large corporations to apply for visas for partner-company employees in a batch application method, which is expected to significantly reduce entry refusals and screening delays that occurred with individual applications.
In particular, the U.S. Embassy in Korea is implementing a measure to raise credibility at the entry screening stage by specially applying only to Korean corporations a method of specifying the project name and status of stay in the B-1 visa annotation field.
In addition, an informal cooperation system between customs (CBP) at major airports such as L.A., Chicago, and Atlanta and the diplomatic missions has been established, reportedly systematizing faster responses to challenges arising on the ground.
An official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assessed, "There are limits to fundamental institutional improvements that require legal amendments, but it is a significant achievement in that we prepared the best possible improvements within the current system."
The U.S. Embassy in Korea said, "The launch of the KIT dedicated desk signifies an active welcome and encouragement for investment in the United States aimed at supporting America's reindustrialization and strengthening the Korea-U.S. alliance and shared prosperity."
Korea and the United States plan to continue the working group consultations next year as well, and to keep reviewing and responding to on-the-ground issues and institutional improvements arising in the visa and entry process.