Govind Tekale
South Korea has launched an urgent diplomatic response after U.S. immigration authorities detained 475 people, including over 300 South Korean nationals, in a massive raid at a Hyundai-LG battery plant construction site in Georgia. President Lee Jae-myung ordered “all-out efforts” following what officials called the largest single-site immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun expressed deep concern over Thursday’s raid near Savannah, saying South Korea feels “a heavy sense of responsibility” for its detained citizens. “We are deeply concerned and feel a heavy sense of responsibility over the arrests of our nationals,” Cho stated, adding that the rights of South Korean nationals and businesses investing in the U.S. must not be infringed upon.”
Tensions rose when President Donald Trump referred to the detained workers as “illegal aliens” during a White House event on Friday. “I would say that they were illegal aliens, and ICE was just doing its job,” Trump told reporters. This statement prompted sharp criticism from Seoul.
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South Korea’s opposition People Power Party called the situation “a grave matter that could lead to broader repercussions for Korean companies and communities across the United States.” PPP chairman Jang Dong-hyeok warned the detentions “could pose a serious risk” to the country, while senior spokesperson Park Sung-hoon blamed President Lee’s “pragmatic diplomacy” for failing to protect citizens despite promises of major investments during a recent meeting with Trump.
Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia, defended the operation during a Friday news conference. He said the raid stemmed from a “multi-month criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes.” According to Schrank, some detainees had illegally crossed the U.S. border, while others were on visa waivers that prohibited employment or had overstayed their visas.
The raid shut down construction at the battery plant, which is part of a $7.6 billion investment that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has called the state’s largest economic development project. Detainees were taken to an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia, as South Korean diplomats rushed to the scene.
In response, South Korea dispatched a team to Georgia and has contacted the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. Cho indicated he might personally travel to Washington if necessary to address the situation.
Hyundai stated that none of those detained “is directly employed” with the company, while LG Energy Solution said it was “gathering all relevant details” and would “fully cooperate with the relevant authorities.” The joint venture battery plant under construction is expected to employ thousands when completed.
The incident comes at a delicate time for U.S.-South Korean economic relations. South Korean companies have invested billions in U.S. manufacturing, with Hyundai recently announcing plans to invest $26 billion from 2025 to 2028, creating approximately 25,000 American jobs through initiatives including a new steel plant in Louisiana and expanded auto production. This immigration enforcement action represents the largest operation yet in the Trump administration’s workplace crackdown, occurring as census data shows the U.S. labor force has lost more than 1.2 million immigrants between January and July of this year.
