On Truth Social:
"Need to Transfer Technology and Train Americans"
On September 14 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the possibility of improving the visa system, stating that foreign companies investing in the United States should bring in their own experts to transfer technology and train Americans. He also emphasized that he does not want to discourage or intimidate countries and companies considering investment in the United States.
This statement appears to be an attempt to address concerns about declining investment in the United States, which have arisen following the recent raid by U.S. immigration authorities on the Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution plant in Georgia and the subsequent mass detention and arrest of Korean workers.
President Trump said on his self-created social networking service, Truth Social, "Foreign companies that manufacture very complex products, machinery, and various other things must bring in their own experts to train our people for a certain period of time," adding, "If we do not go through this process, such massive investments will not come in at all."
He specifically mentioned advanced and manufacturing industries such as chips, semiconductors, computers, ships, and trains, saying, "We need to learn how to make these things from other countries, and in many cases, we need to relearn them," explaining, "There was a time when we excelled at this, but that is no longer the case." In particular, he cited the shipbuilding industry, which the United States and South Korea agreed to cooperate on during tariff negotiations, saying, "There was a time when we could build one ship a day, but now we barely manage to build one a year."
President Trump stressed, "I do not want to intimidate or discourage foreign companies from investing in the United States," adding, "We welcome them and their employees. We want to learn from them, and soon, we want to be able to confidently say that we can do even better than they can."
Previously, on September 4, U.S. immigration authorities raided the Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Georgia, classifying 317 Korean workers as illegal immigrants and detaining them. Although the detained Korean workers returned home on a chartered flight on September 12, eight days later, concerns about the uncertainty surrounding investment in the United States are growing. Critics point out that while the U.S. government demands large-scale investments from foreign companies, it does not issue enough visas for the personnel needed to actually build the factories. As a result, there is criticism that President Trump's economic and immigration policies are in direct conflict with each other.
President Trump's remarks on this day are interpreted as a commitment to ensure that professional personnel from investing companies can remain in the United States stably in order to rebuild domestic manufacturing. In particular, as anxiety has spread not only in Korea but also in major investing countries such as Japan and Taiwan following the mass detention of Korean workers, his comments are seen as an effort to allay those concerns. At the same time, he appears to be sending a message to his hardline supporters, who have supported his anti-immigration policies, explaining that the reality is that the United States cannot rebuild its manufacturing base without accepting foreign workers with specialized skills. Currently, South Korea and the United States are discussing ways to improve the visa system in response to the mass detention of Korean workers.
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