A Diplomatic storm: South Korea’s warning over U.S immigration raid

An immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia has prompted South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung, to express concern that it could deter future South Korean investment in the U.S.

More than 300 South Korean nationals were arrested in the raid last week, but they have since been released and are set to return home. Their departure was delayed for more than a day by an order from the White House, according to President Lee.

A South Korean official said President Trump ordered the pause to see if the workers would be willing to stay and train Americans.

Speaking at a news conference, President Lee called the situation “extremely bewildering.” He noted that it’s common for Korean companies to send workers to help establish overseas factories. If this practice is no longer allowed, he warned, “establishing manufacturing facilities in the US will only become more difficult making companies question whether it’s worth doing at all.”

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Seoul is now in talks with Washington to secure more visas or create new visa categories for South Korean workers. The BBC has reached out to the White House for comment.

The raid, which saw 475 people detained in total, targeted a battery plant operated by LG Energy Solution and Hyundai. LG Energy Solution stated that many of its employees who were arrested had various types of visas or were part of a visa waiver program.

A worker at the plant told the BBC that the raid caused panic and confusion. The employee said most of those detained were mechanics hired by a contractor to install production lines.

The incident has caused a stir in South Korea, a close U.S. ally. The Dong-A Ilbo newspaper warned of a “chilling effect on the activities of our businesses in the United States,” and the Yonhap News Agency urged the two countries to “cooperate to repair cracks in their alliance.”

The White House has defended the raid, and President Trump has since posted on social media calling for foreign companies to hire Americans. He said the U.S. government would make it “quickly and legally possible” for foreign firms to bring workers into the country if they respect immigration laws.