Government delegations from Korea and the U.S. on Sept. 30 hold the first round of their bilateral Business Travel and Visa Working Group in Washington to prevent a recurrence of the detention of Korean workers in Ellabell, Georgia. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

By Xu Aiying

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul will install a Korean Investor Desk for visas for staff of Korean companies that invest in America, a measure to prevent a recurrence of the mass detention of Korean workers in Ellabell, Georgia.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul on Sept. 30 said the agreement on the desk was reached after the first round of talks of the bilateral Business Travel and Visa Working Group in Washington.

Given the needs of Korean companies, both sides at the meeting stipulated what activities are allowed under the B-1 visa, which is for short-term stays for business.

The U.S. side reconfirmed that Korean companies can use the B-1 for installing, servicing and fixing equipment bought overseas associated with investment in America, and that holders of the U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization, aka ESTA, can perform the same activities as those of the B-1.

The Korean Investor Desk will begin operations this month, with more details to be announced on the U.S. Embassy in Seoul's website.

xuaiy@korea.kr