People watch a TV screen showing the live broadcast of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s press conference at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on September 11, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP
South Korea’s president said on Thursday (September 11, 2025) 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 September 4 immigration raid at a battery factory under construction at Hyundai’s sprawling auto plant in Georgia.
Mr. Lee said the Korean workers are set to be brought home on Friday (September 12, 2025) aboard a charter plane.
South Korean and U.S. officials are discussing a possible improvement to the U.S. visa system, Mr. Lee said, adding that under the current system South Korean companies “can’t help hesitating a lot” about making direct investments in the US.
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 US, Lee said.
Mr. Lee’s press conference was arranged to mark his 100 days in office.
Published – September 11, 2025 09:06 am IST
