LG Energy Solution to resume business trips to US following Georgia detention

Seoul, Oct 2 (IANS) LG Energy Solution Ltd., a leading battery maker, said on Thursday it plans to gradually resume officials' business trips to the United States later this month, about a month after a mass detention in Georgia.

The company has suspended all trips to the U.S. after 47 of its employees and some 250 subcontractor workers were detained in a U.S. immigration raid at a construction site for a joint Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution battery plant on September 4, reports Yonhap news agency.

LG Energy Solution said the decision follows a working group meeting earlier this week in which Seoul and Washington clarified permissible activities for holders of B-1 short-term business visas.

Under the agreement, Korean companies can use the B-1 visa for activities associated with their investment process in the U.S., such as installing, servicing and repairing equipment purchased from overseas.

Those who enter the U.S. on an ESTA programme may also engage in the same activities. The company stressed it will prioritise employee safety and provide systemic support. It currently operates or is building seven plants in the U.S.

"We will do our best to create a safe environment for business trips and to normalise plant construction in the U.S. in order to maintain trust with customers," the company said.

The United States has agreed to install a desk in its embassy in Seoul to help address visa issues facing South Korean businesses investing in the U.S., with a plan to start its operation next month, the foreign ministry said.

The agreement came during the inaugural meeting of the South Korea-U.S. "Business Travel and Visa Working Group" in Washington, after more than 310 Korean workers were arrested in a U.S. immigration raid.

The working group meeting was led by Jung Ki-hong, Korea's government representative for Korean nationals overseas protection and consular affairs, and Kevin Kim, the State Department's senior bureau official for East Asian and Pacific affairs.

—IANS

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