South Korea and the United States held a second round of bilateral discussions on Wednesday on ways to better support Korean companies investing in the United States. 

The Korean side was led by Jung Ki-hong, government representative for Korean nationals overseas protection and consular affairs, and included representatives of the foreign affairs, trade and SMEs and startups ministries.

The U.S. side was represented by Jonathan Fritz, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian & Pacific affairs, along with other members of the U.S. departments of state and homeland security.

During the video meeting, the two sides discussed a potential Korean Investment and Visa Task Force at the U.S. embassy in Seoul to better support South Korean companies investing in the U.S., including facilitating visa issuance and ensuring smoother entry for Korean professionals.

According to the foreign ministry, the parties also agreed that commercial and employment-based visas are critical for Korean companies establishing factories in the U.S. and resolved to better facilitate visits by legal visa holders.

The ministry said attendees also checked on the status of agreements implemented following the inaugural session of the Korea-U.S. Business Travel and Visa Working Group that took place in Washington earlier this month.

They agreed on the need for additional measures in consideration of the difficulties Korean companies continue to face related to U.S. entry and visa issuance, which they will discuss at the next working group meeting.