Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said South Korea and the United States have reached a broad agreement to ensure Korean workers recently detained in Georgia will not face additional entry restrictions when traveling to the U.S. in the future.

At a parliamentary session Monday, Cho explained that while final confirmation is pending, Washington has given positive signals that deportations or voluntary departures will not trigger five-year entry bans.

He also revealed plans to launch talks on new visa arrangements, including the creation of a dedicated E-4 professional visa for Koreans or increased H-1B quotas, during his trip to Washington, citing South Korea’s growing investment in the U.S. as grounds for optimism.

Cho noted that delays in completing the Hyundai-LG battery plant would harm U.S. interests as well, and pledged to deliver a strong stance during his visit, shifting from the more restrained one he had taken while pushing for the workers’ release.

He added that the incident could reflect either routine enforcement or President Donald Trump’s hard-line bargaining style, and confirmed he will meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his trip.

Cho is scheduled to depart from the U.S. on Wednesday, possibly on the same chartered flight as the more than 300 South Korean nationals expected to be repatriated after being detained in a large-scale U.S. immigration raid.