US Hyundai raid: South Korea vows support for citizens detained by ICE

Seoul holds emergency meeting after citizens detained in US Hyundai raid

14 hours ago Share Save Brajesh Upadhyay BBC News, Washington Share Save

Reuters Immigration agents at the Hyundai battery plant

South Korea's government has held an emergency meeting and vowed to swiftly respond to the arrests of hundreds of its citizens in a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in the US. Seoul has dispatched diplomats to the site in Georgia, while LG Energy Solution, which operates the plant with Hyundai, said it was suspending most business trips to the US. US officials detained 475 people - mostly South Korean nationals - who they said were found to be illegally working at the battery facility, one of the largest foreign investment projects in the state. The White House defended the operation, dismissing concerns that the raid could deter foreign investment.

"They were illegal aliens and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] was just doing its job," President Donald Trump said following the raids on Friday. Video released by ICE officials showed Asian workers shackled in front of a building, with some wearing yellow vests with names such as "Hyundai" and "LG CNS". "People on short-term or recreational visas are not authorized to work in the US," ICE said, adding that the raid was necessary to protect American jobs. "This operation sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable," Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Steven Schrank said in a statement on Saturday. South Korea, a close US ally, has pledged tens of billions of dollars in American manufacturing investment, partly to offset tariffs. The timing of the raid, as the two governments engage in sensitive trade talks, has raised concern in Seoul. Trump has actively encouraged major investments from other countries while also tightening visa allocations for foreign companies. Many of the LG employees arrested were on business trips with various visas or under a visa waiver programme, officials say. South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun said he felt a "great sense of responsibility for the arrest of our citizens" as he presided over an emergency meeting about the issue on Saturday. He said the government had set up an Overseas Korean Protection Task Force to respond to the arrests and that he may travel to Washington if needed. "Immediately after this incident became known, the President stressed that U.S. law enforcement actions must not unjustly infringe upon the rights of our nationals or the economic activities of our Korean-invested companies," he said.