SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s president said Thursday that South Korean companies will likely hesitate to maintain or make direct investments in the United States if the U.S. fails to improve its visa system for Korean workers.
President Lee Jae Myung made the comments in a televised news conference while he spoke about the detention of more than 300 South Korean workers after the Sept. 4 immigration raid at a battery factory under construction at Hyundai’s sprawling auto plant in Georgia.
Lee said the Korean workers are set to be brought home on Friday aboard a charter plane.
South Korean and U.S. officials are discussing a possible improvement to the U.S. visa system, Lee said, adding that under the current system South Korean companies “can’t help hesitating a lot” about making direct investments in the U.S.
Whether the U.S. establishes a visa system allowing South Korean companies to send skilled workers to work at industrial sites will have a “major impact” on future South Korean investments in the U.S., Lee said.
Lee’s press conference was arranged to mark his 100 days in office.