U.S. Media: "Immigration Raid at Georgia Hyundai-LG Plant Puts U.S.-South Korea Relations to the Test"

WP: "Tariff Negotiations at a Sensitive Juncture...
Business Uncertainty Intensifies"
WSJ: "No Prior Notice...
Korean Government and Hyundai Caught Off Guard"

On September 6 (local time), The Washington Post (WP) reported that "U.S.-South Korea relations are being put to the test" in connection with the incident in which hundreds of Koreans were detained after U.S. immigration authorities conducted a raid at a major Korean company's factory in Georgia.

In an article titled "Immigration Raid Puts U.S.-South Korea Relations to the Test," WP described the incident as "the largest on-site raid operation during President Donald Trump's second term," noting that 475 workers were arrested on the 4th. The report emphasized that this occurred as the United States and South Korea have been engaged in tense negotiations over tariffs and investment issues for several months.

U.S. immigration enforcement authorities released a video on their official website showing a raid on illegal immigrants and employment violations at the joint battery factory construction site of Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Georgia on the 4th (local time). Video screenshot from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website · Yonhap News Agency

The newspaper particularly analyzed that the $350 billion (approximately 486 trillion won) Korean investment package in the U.S. is a key agenda item in the follow-up tariff negotiations, and that this incident could have a significant impact not only on the tariff talks but also on the overall investment plans of Korean companies in the United States.

WP stated, "Major Korean conglomerates such as Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution play a significant role in driving these investments," but also pointed out, "However, this immigration raid has raised concerns among Korean companies and government officials about the political realities of operating businesses in the United States."

The report further noted, "South Korea is the United States' largest trading partner and one of its closest security allies in Asia, but tensions have persisted during the tariff negotiations," adding, "U.S. and South Korean officials are still working out the details of the trade agreement."

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also reported that "the arrests have embarrassed the South Korean government and Hyundai Motor Group." WSJ pointed out that the South Korean government, a close ally, was not even notified in advance, and that when Hyundai Motor Group announced on the 3rd that its August sales in the U.S. had reached an all-time high, U.S. authorities had already secured search warrants.

WSJ added that the measures have also shocked the Korean community in the Savannah area of Georgia. Min Nguyen, an employee at a local Korean barbecue restaurant, said, "We expect to be hit hard," explaining that although neither he nor the restaurant owner is Korean, many Hyundai Motor Group factory workers used to visit, making losses inevitable.

Previously, on the 4th, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted a raid at the joint battery factory construction site of Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Georgia and arrested 475 people. It is reported that more than 300 of those detained are Korean nationals, and the South Korean government has begun consular interviews to check on the health and well-being of the detainees.