Washington: South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is set to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday. The meeting, originally scheduled for Tuesday, will address the detention of over 300 South Koreans following a U.S. immigration raid in Georgia.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean Embassy in Washington announced that Cho and Rubio will convene at 9:30 a.m. (local time) on Wednesday. This is the same day that the detained Koreans are expected to return home on a chartered plane under the label of "voluntary departure" instead of deportation.
The raid took place last Thursday at an electric vehicle battery plant construction site in Bryan County. The site is part of a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution. U.S. authorities stated that the detained Koreans were working illegally, including some who were on short-term visas that do not permit employment.
During the meeting, Cho is likely to request U.S. cooperation to ensure that the detained Koreans do not face future entry restrictions or other disadvantages. He may also advocate for the establishment of a new work visa or visa quotas for skilled Korean workers, aiming to facilitate stable investment and business operations by Korean enterprises in the U.S.
While in Washington, Cho is also expected to engage with other U.S. officials responsible for immigration policy, including those from the Department of Homeland Security.
The rescheduling of the meeting from Tuesday to Wednesday remains unexplained, though it appears to be due to Rubio's busy schedule following Israel's unexpected attack on Hamas leadership in Qatar.
In a related event, Seoul's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac visited the U.S. in July for discussions with Rubio. However, they were unable to meet in person and held a phone conversation instead.