U.S. will allow South Koreans with short-term visas and waivers to work at industrial sites, Seoul says

U.S. will allow South Koreans with short-term visas and waivers to work at industrial sites, Seoul says Nation Oct 1, 2025 12:06 PM EDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States has agreed to allow South Korean workers on short-term visas or a visa waiver program to help build industrial sites in America, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

The announcement came weeks after South Korea flew home more than 300 of its nationals who had been detained in a massive immigration raid at a battery factory being built on Hyundai’s sprawling auto plant campus near Savannah, Georgia.

READ MORE: South Korean workers return home after days in detention following US immigration raid

The roundup, along with U.S. video footage showing Korean workers shackled at the hands, ankles and waist, f