South Korea’s top diplomat may travel to US after migrant raid that nabbed hundreds
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More than 300 South Koreans were among 475 people arrested by US immigration officials in a raid on a Hyundai-LG battery plant being built in the southern US state of Georgia.
PHOTO: AFP
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SEOUL – South Korea’s top diplomat said he would travel to Washington if needed over a US migrant raid at a Hyundai Motor Company manufacturing complex, confirming that more than 300 among 475 people detained under the operation are its citizens.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun presided over an emergency response meeting in Seoul on Sept 6 after US federal agents carried out the sweep
“The president has emphasised that the economic activities of our companies investing in the US must not be unduly infringed upon in the course of US law enforcement,” Mr Cho said at the start of the meeting. “We will review promptly dispatching a senior official to the site, including myself travelling to Washington to engage in consultations with the US administration, if needed.”
South Korean First Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoon-joo called the incident “regrettable” during a Sept 6 phone call with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, especially because photos were released of the South Korean workers being arrested, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Mr Park asked the US to resolve the situation. The State Department referred comments to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The sweep was part of a months-long investigation into employment practices and was the biggest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the Homeland Security Department’s investigative arm. It is part of a broader push by the Trump administration, which has promised the largest deportation campaign in US history.
According to a search warrant unsealed on Sept 5, agents were authorised to seize employment records, immigration documents and correspondence with government agencies, as well as records from contractors and subcontractors tied to the project.
Four individuals were named as targets of the search. People determined to be working unlawfully were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal proceedings, according to special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Steve Schrank.
South Korea has been emerging as a major investor in the US, a trend fuelled by the nations’ recent trade deal. That agreement includes a US$350 billion (S$450 billion) fund to help Korean companies enter the US market, with US$150 billion dedicated to the shipbuilding industry.
Private companies are also set to directly invest another US$150 billion in the US, a pledge announced as South Korean President Lee Jae-myung held his first summit
The federal action occurred at HL-GA Battery, a joint venture between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution that is intended to supply Hyundai’s new electric vehicle production hub – a cornerstone of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s economic development strategy. BLOOMBERG
