Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said South Korea and the United States will form a working group to address visa issues that triggered the mass detention of Korean workers in Georgia.

Upon his return to Seoul from his trip to Washington on Friday, Cho told reporters during an impromptu briefing at the airport that the task force will explore a possible new visa category and a dedicated desk at the U.S. embassy in Seoul to speed up approvals for staff tied to corporate investment projects.

The minister said he had secured personal assurances from the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, that no returning workers would face visa penalties in the future.

Pressed on whether they had penned a written agreement, Cho replied that none was necessary because the matter was agreed at ministerial level.

He added that the working group would be set up at least at a director-general level and would convene quickly to unify interpretations on short-term business visas such as the B1.

Deputy Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, who flew back with the released workers, said the group would first work to align Seoul and Washington’s views on what employment activities are allowed under B1 visas.