Decision for repatriation is due to the “state of shock” of workers
The approximately 475 South Korean workers detained in the United States in an immigration operation on September 4 will be released on Thursday, but will return to South Korea by Seoul’s decision, President Lee Jae Myung said.
During an operation conducted by US authorities, but US President Donald Trump decided not to expel them, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
According to the Ministry, the decision of repatriation is due to the “state of shock” of workers. “President Trump wondered whether qualified professionals should stay in the United States to continue working and train local personnel or return to their home country,” South Korean diplomacy said in a statement sent to France Presse.
Seoul replied that, given the tiredness and psychological impact of detention, it would be “preferable to return to the house first and later return to the United States to resume work.” The US administration accepted this position, the ministry added.
The South Korean government sent Korean Air’s Boeing 747-8I on Wednesday to the United States to repact workers.
At a press conference in Seoul to mark the 100 days of office, Lee Jae Myung warned that this incident could have a “significant impact on future investment decisions,” especially with regard to the “viability of operating directly in the US”.
The South Korean President has again appealed to the creation of an effective visa system that allows companies in the country to send qualified workers to industrial projects in the United States, stressing that the lack of this instrument has placed concrete obstacles to economic cooperation between the two countries.
“These are not permanent workers. When a factory is built or equipment, it is precise technicians. The United States does not have this workforce and yet do not issue visas so that our professionals can stay and do this work,” he said.
South Korean companies have appealed to short-term visas or the Electronic Travel Authorization System (this) to send workers involved in the implementation of industrial units. The practice was widely tolerated, but the operation of immigration in Georgia exposed the absence of a formal mechanism.
Experts and responsible in Seoul regret that Washington has not yet given response to South Korea’s old claim in this regard, while continuing to push for more South Korean industrial investments on US soil.
The head of state classified the operation during which the workers were handcuffed and chained, as “destabilizing”.
South Korea has been committed in recent months to invest $ 350 billion (299 billion euros) in the United States, after threats from US administration related to the imposition of customs tariffs.
