Vice Minister Park Yoon-joo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is visiting the United States, met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on the 20th (local time) to review the status of Korea's investments in the United States.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release on the talks that both sides assessed that consultations on Korea's investments in the United States are proceeding smoothly.
Park expressed appreciation to Deputy Secretary Landau for showing strong interest and a willingness to resolve issues regarding improvements to U.S.-Korea visa matters, which are essential to advancing bilateral investment cooperation. Park added that they hope related discussions will continue to make steady progress.
Deputy Secretary Landau said he recognizes well that Korean corporations' investment activities in the United States are making major contributions to the U.S. economy and the revival of manufacturing, and said he would continue sustained interest and support.
This is seen as signaling the U.S. side's intent to continue cooperating to resolve the issue of guaranteeing lawful status for Korea's skilled technical personnel. The two countries have been operating a working group and discussing solutions since the detention of more than 300 Korean workers in Georgia in September last year.
The two vice ministers also agreed to cooperate to ensure the successful holding of a kickoff (launch) meeting scheduled within weeks to implement the joint fact sheet in trade and security produced by last year's U.S.-Korea summit.
Deputy Secretary Landau reaffirmed that the U.S. defense commitment to Korea is ironclad and that the combined defense posture of the U.S.-Korea alliance is seamless. He also said Korea is the United States' top partner in economy, trade, and investment, and that he would continue efforts to support this.
The two vice ministers also exchanged views on Middle East issues, the U.S.-China summit, and critical mineral supply chains. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vice Minister Park commended President Donald Trump's leadership in resolving Middle East issues and agreed on the importance of safe and free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.