Strengthening Coordinated Cooperation with Diplomatic Missions to Address Korean Companies’ Visa-Related Challenges

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a meeting of economic officers from all Korean diplomatic missions in the United States on October 2, chaired by Director-General for Bilateral Economic Affairs Kim Sun-young.

The meeting was convened to discuss ways to address visa-related difficulties faced by Korean companies and to strengthen coordinated cooperation between the Ministry and its overseas missions, with the overarching aim of ensuring a stable investment environment in the United States.

Notably, the meeting followed the inaugural session of the Korea–U.S. Business Travel and Visa Working Group held on September 30. The officers were briefed on key outcomes, including clarification of the permissible scope of activities under the B-1 visa and ESTA, as well as plans to establish a dedicated “Korean Investor Desk” at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. This provided front-line officers with an opportunity to deepen their understanding and enhance their capacity to support Korean companies.

Director-General Kim emphasized that Korea’s rapidly expanding investment in the United States naturally leads to a sharp increase in personnel exchanges, making it more important than ever to ensure a stable environment for Korean businesses and workers.

She urged missions to proactively engage with local offices of U.S. immigration enforcement agencies—including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—to establish working-level contacts, as agreed in the recent Working Group discussions, so that missions can take the initiative in supporting Korean companies.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with its missions, will continue working closely with the U.S. side, including through follow-up meetings of the Korea–U.S. Business Travel and Visa Working Group, to pursue further institutional improvements. These efforts aim to provide Korean companies with a more secure investment environment in the United States and to actively alleviate their difficulties.