South Korean companies will be 'very hesitant' about investing in the US following a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in the state of Georgia last week, President Lee Jae Myung has said. More than 300 South Koreans who were arrested in the raid have now been released from detention and are due to return home on Friday after having their release delayed by more than a day. Their departure was delayed because of an instruction from the White House, Lee added. President Donald Trump ordered the pause to check whether the workers were willing to remain in the US to continue working and training Americans, according to a South Korean foreign ministry official.
Lee, who was speaking at a news conference to mark the first 100 days of his presidency, noted that it is common practice for Korean firms to send workers to help set up overseas factories. He stated, 'If that's no longer allowed, establishing manufacturing facilities in the US will only become more difficult... making companies question whether it's worth doing at all.'
Seoul is negotiating with Washington on visa options for South Korean workers, whether that means securing higher quotas or creating new visa categories. 'I think the US will address this if they see it as a practical necessity,' Lee remarked.
Last week, US officials detained 475 people, with over 300 of them being South Korean nationals, who were reported to be working illegally at the battery facility, one of the largest foreign investment projects in Georgia. LG Energy Solution, which operates the plant with Hyundai, stated that many arrested employees had various types of visas or were under a visa waiver program.
The US government made clear that it would make it 'quickly and legally possible' for foreign firms to bring workers into the country if they adhered to its immigration laws. The recent events have led South Korean media to express concern, labeling the raid a 'shock' and potentially damaging to business relations with the US.
Lee, who was speaking at a news conference to mark the first 100 days of his presidency, noted that it is common practice for Korean firms to send workers to help set up overseas factories. He stated, 'If that's no longer allowed, establishing manufacturing facilities in the US will only become more difficult... making companies question whether it's worth doing at all.'
Seoul is negotiating with Washington on visa options for South Korean workers, whether that means securing higher quotas or creating new visa categories. 'I think the US will address this if they see it as a practical necessity,' Lee remarked.
Last week, US officials detained 475 people, with over 300 of them being South Korean nationals, who were reported to be working illegally at the battery facility, one of the largest foreign investment projects in Georgia. LG Energy Solution, which operates the plant with Hyundai, stated that many arrested employees had various types of visas or were under a visa waiver program.
The US government made clear that it would make it 'quickly and legally possible' for foreign firms to bring workers into the country if they adhered to its immigration laws. The recent events have led South Korean media to express concern, labeling the raid a 'shock' and potentially damaging to business relations with the US.
