The South Korean government has held an emergency meeting and vowed to respond quickly to the arrest of hundreds of citizens in a massive immigration raid at a modern U.S. factory.
Seoul has sent diplomats to the scene in Georgia, while LG Energy Solution, which uses Hyundai to operate the plant, said it is suspending most business trips to the United States.
U.S. officials detained 475 people, mainly South Korean nationals – they said they were considered illegally working at a battery factory, one of the state’s largest foreign investment projects.
The White House defended the action, dismissing concerns that the raid could prevent foreign investment.
“They are illegal foreigners and ice [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] Donald Trump said after Friday’s raid.
Video released by ICE officials showed Asian workers, some wearing yellow vests in front of the building, named “Hyundai” and “LG CNS”.
“People with short-term or leisure visas are not entitled to work in the United States,” Ice said, adding that the raid was a necessary condition to protect American work.
“This operation sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and destroy our workforce will be held accountable,” Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) Agent Steven Schrank said in a statement Saturday.
South Korea is a close American ally that has committed tens of billions of dollars in U.S. manufacturing investment, partly due to offsetting tariffs.
The timing of the raid has attracted the attention of Seoul as the two governments engage in sensitive trade negotiations.
Trump has actively encouraged large-scale investments in other countries, while also tightening visa allocations to foreign companies.
Officials said many arrested LG employees have various visa or visa exemption programs on business trips.
South Korean Foreign Minister Joe Hyun said he felt “a great sense of responsibility” for the arrest of our citizens” when he chaired an emergency meeting on Saturday.
He said the government has set up a South Korean protection task force overseas to respond to arrests and may travel to Washington if needed.
“After this incident was known, the president immediately stressed that U.S. law enforcement actions must unfairly violate the rights of our nationals or the economic activities of our companies invested in South Korea,” he said.
On Saturday, LG Energy Solutions announced that it will send its chief human resources officer Kim Ki-SOO to Georgia on Sunday.
“We are making all-out efforts to ensure the rapid release of detainees from our companies and partners,” it said in a statement.
“We are using the emergency contact network to identify regular medications for detainees as families and plan to require the delivery of necessary medications to detainees.”
The company said it is suspending most business trips to the U.S. and directs employees to return home immediately in the U.S.
South Korean media widely described the raid as “shocking” with a Dong-a Ilbo newspaper warning that could “had a shocking impact on the activities of our businesses in the United States.”
The factory that makes new electric vehicles was touted by the Republican governor of Georgia as the largest economic development project in the state’s history, employing 1,200 people.
The arrested workers were held at the ice rink in Foxton, Georgia until the agency decided where to move next.
LG Energy Solutions said about 250 employees of its 47 employees and their joint ventures were detained.
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