South Korean detainees blocked
Updated : 2025-09-10 22:07:20 KST
South Korean detainees blocked from leaving U.S. on chartered plane on Wed.
We start with the situation in the U.S. state of Georgia, where around 300 Korean workers were arrested last week at a Hyundai–LG Energy battery plant site. They were expected to come home within the next day BUT their departure has suddenly been delayed. We have our foreign affairs correspondent Oh Soo-young in-studio.
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Q1. Sooyoung, the detainees were set to come home within the next 24 hours but there have been some problems. That's right. The Foreign Ministry announced that the 300 or so Koreans at the immigration detention centre in Georgia will not be able to depart by chartered flight on Wednesday local time. This is due to what the ministry describes as "circumstances on the U.S.' side." I spoke to an official who indicated that South Korea the government, companies and the chartered airline were in full preparation for a Wednesday departure. Local reports even indicate that the companies were helping the detainees ship their luggage to Korea separately.
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So for a reason that is unknown and undisclosed to us right now, it seems the U.S. is stalling the process. The ministry says negotiations are ongoing. But given that it's still early in the morning over there., it seems the issue is unlikely to be resolved before Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Secretary of State Marco Rubio meet. However, even if they resolve to release the detainees as soon as possible., it seems it's difficult to determine when the next flight can be arranged, as it takes logistical preparation for the airline company which has to follow aviation safety standards and procedures.
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stall 교착 상태에 빠뜨리다, 지연시키다; 교착 상태에 빠지다, 지연되다
logistical 업무 조직에 관한, 실행계획상의
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2. Right. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is there to get things moving swiftly and will meet with his counterpart on Wednesday. That's right. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Secretary Marco Rubio will meet on Wednesday at the White House. Before departing for D.C. on Monday,. Cho said he'll ensure the detainees do not face disadvantages such as entry bans upon future visits to the U.S. Beyond the immediate issue at hand, the minister said he'll try to turn this crisis into an opportunity to improve U.S. visa tracks for Korean firms. It's an issue President Lee Jae Myung has raised, for the sustainability of Korean investment in America and their economic partnership.
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sustainability 지속[유지] 가능성
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Before his sit-down with Rubio, Cho on Tuesday held a roundtable in D.C. with representatives from LG, Hyundai, Samsung, POSCO, SK, and other Korean firms to hear their concerns. Companies are calling for two main visa tracks. First, a new E-4 visa quota under the long-stalled "Partner with Korea Act," which would allow up to 15,000 skilled Korean professionals to work in the U.S. each year. The legislation was introduced in 2013, after the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement took effect in 2011, but the act didn't get enough traction to pass through Congress. Second, Korean firms would like higher approval rates for E-2 visas on jobs created through foreign investment for staff employed by Korean-invested plants in the U.S. By comparison, other countries already have dedicated visa tracks.
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traction 끌기, 견인; 견인력
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Canada and Mexico enjoy unlimited non-immigrant professional visas under the North America FTA, Australia has 10,500 annual E-3 visas, and Singapore and Chile have secured thousands of short-term working visas through trade agreements. Korea, on the other hand, has none. Experts say the Trump Administration must recognise that structural support by Korean professionals is necessary to build American capacity in key sectors.
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professionals 전문 직원
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"Industries like battery manufacturing and shipbuilding require highly specialised skills that cannot be transferred through short-term training alone. If foreign experts are allowed only as trainers, not as part of the core workforce, companies may face productivity gaps that delay factory completion, slow investment returns, and disrupt the U.S. electric vehicle supply chain." 3. It looks like the White House has somewhat acknowledged it needs to comprehensively address this issue.
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Yes. It wasn't initially clear, and still remains uncertain, how different U.S. agencies are coordinating on the issue the immigration authorities that conducted the raid, Georgia state authorities, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Commerce Department. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated President Donald Trump's remarks from a few days earlier, saying he appreciates foreign investment in the U.S., particularly in specialised sectors like semiconductors and batteries, but he is putting an emphasis on American jobs.
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"So he expects these foreign companies to hire American labor. We want Americans to have these jobs. Americans need these jobs but he also understands the need for these companies to bring over their workers who already have these skills." She said the Department of Homeland Security and Commerce are coordinating on this, under Trump's (quote-unquote) "nuanced, responsible and sensible approach." This response comes in light of global media reports and concerns raised over how the recent raid could compromise the 12.6 billion dollar South Korean investment in the state of Georgia.
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compromise (특히 무분별한 행동으로) ~을 위태롭게 하다
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We'll have to see what Cho and Rubio discuss and the outcome of their talks on Wednesday, but the stakes are high for both countries. Without structural administrative support for Korean professionals in key industrial sectors, it's hard to see investment in America as a feasible option for global businesses. Yes, let's hope to see this crisis turn into an opportunity, as the minister said. And we hope to see the swift return home of the Korean nationals. Thanks for your report Sooyoung.
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the stakes are high 리스크가 크다, 위험성이 높다
feasible 실현 가능한 (=practicable)
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arirang news/Foreign Policy
https://m.arirang.com/news/view?id=287055
