Gu Ja-yeol, Chairman of Muhyeop, "Urgent Passage of Professional Visa Quota Bill Needed... Support from US Congress Required"

Outreach Event Commemorating 70th Anniversary of ROK-US Alliance in Washington D.C.
Discussion on Strengthening ROK-US Trade Cooperation with Rep. Young Kim

Gu Ja-yeol, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), visited Washington D.C., USA, and met with key figures from the U.S. administration, Department of Defense, and Congress to exchange views on the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance, supply chain cooperation, and regional and global affairs, the association announced on the 27th.

In particular, on the 26th (local time), through a meeting with Congresswoman Young Kim of California, they discussed recent congressional trends related to the activities of Korean companies entering the U.S. market, including ▲ semiconductor subsidy support ▲ IRA electric vehicle subsidy support ▲ the bill to establish a Korean professional visa quota.

Congresswoman Young Kim serves as the chair of the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee in the 118th U.S. Congress, handling diplomatic issues between Korea and the U.S. In the 117th Congress, she co-sponsored the Korea Partner Act with Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly, which included issuing 15,000 professional work visas annually to Korean nationals in specialized fields. The bill to establish a Korean professional visa quota proposes issuing 15,000 visas (E4), similar to work visas, annually to Korean professionals. Although it has been introduced continuously since the 113th Congress in 2013, it has not passed in any session.

Koo Ja-yeol, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association (left), met with Young Kim, California State Assembly member, in Washington D.C. on the 26th (local time) to convey the opinions of our industry regarding the establishment of a new visa quota bill for Korean professionals.
[Photo by Korea International Trade Association]

Chairman Gu stated, "Cooperation with Korean companies is essential in building advanced industrial infrastructure in the U.S., such as electric vehicles, batteries, and semiconductors," adding, "As concerns grow among companies regarding problematic provisions in recent U.S. industrial policies like the Semiconductor Act and IRA Act, we ask Congress to make efforts to ensure that Korean companies operating in the U.S. do not face difficulties."

He also said, "Korean companies operating in the U.S. are facing significant challenges in securing professional talent," and requested, "Passing the Korean professional visa bill, which is a critical and urgent issue that will determine the success of Korean companies investing in the U.S., requires strong interest and support from U.S. federal lawmakers, and we hope Congresswoman Young Kim will take a leading role in this."

Chairman Gu expressed gratitude, saying, "I appreciate the proactive introduction of the '70th Anniversary of the Korea-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty' resolution, which reflects and emphasizes the significance of the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance," and urged, "Please continue efforts for the sustained development of the Korea-U.S. alliance."

Congresswoman Young Kim said, "The Korea-U.S. alliance, celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, is becoming stronger across all fields including economy and security," adding, "especially the Korea-U.S. FTA is regarded as a successful case envied by other countries. Just as special visas have been granted to other FTA partner countries like Singapore and Australia, we plan to promptly introduce the Korea Partner Act this year to allow Korea to receive special visa quotas for highly skilled personnel."

The Korea International Trade Association is the only economic organization with a branch office in Washington D.C., conducting outreach activities to convey the opinions of the Korean trade industry to the U.S. administration and Congress, serving as a channel for private-sector trade cooperation with the U.S. Last year, KITA dispatched two economic cooperation delegations to the U.S. led by Chairman Gu Ja-yeol, delivering Korean companies' views on trade issues to officials from the U.S. administration, Congress, and state governments.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance, the association plans to dispatch a large-scale economic cooperation delegation to Washington D.C. in September this year and hold various networking events, including receptions inviting lawmakers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.