[Reporter’s Notebook] People Who Worried About the Factory Before Their Own Ordeal

"I need to finish setting up the factory, but I’m worried because I don’t know when I’ll be able to return to the United States."

Employees of LG Energy Solution and its partner companies, who were released after being detained by U.S. immigration authorities, arrived at Incheon International Airport upon returning to Korea. One employee I met there expressed concern for the factory before anything else, rather than resentment toward the U.S. government. Even as he arrived looking exhausted, unable to shave for a week, the battery factory on the other side of the globe was foremost on his mind.

Their families felt the same. The wife of one employee, who came to the airport with a young child who appeared to be around five or six years old, tearfully said, "As soon as my husband called me with the phone he got back on the plane, he was worried about leaving the factory behind," and pleaded, "Please guarantee these people legal and legitimate work visas so they can complete the final detailed tasks."

Before going to the airport, I expected to hear responses like, "I don’t care about work anymore, I never want to set foot in the U.S. again, and I’ll never go on another business trip." The stories I heard at the airport about their detention-such as moldy mattresses in a 72-person cell, inedible boiled beans, and even racism-painted a picture so grim that even those who hadn’t been there would find it hard to imagine. Yet, what most people voiced first was concern for the factory. The tenacity of Koreans, who worry about unfinished work left in the U.S. even after enduring such hardship and finally returning home, leaves a bittersweet and profound impression.

The detained employees and their families unanimously said, "Overseas business trips are an unavoidable part of a technician’s career." The experience gained in the field abroad is much more than just a business trip. Solving technical challenges and completing processes in unfamiliar environments not only develops individual capabilities but also serves as a foundation for enhancing the overall competitiveness of Korean industry. The sense of responsibility and dedication shown by Korean employees is a rare asset anywhere in the world. It is the responsibility of the nation and companies-not individuals-to protect this asset and create an environment where people can work legally and safely.

This incident was not a simple mishap. It is a risk that could recur at any time across all industries with overseas operations, including not only the battery sector but also semiconductors and shipbuilding. The visa issues and government crackdowns that arose in the U.S. were foreseeable risks, yet both the government and companies have consistently chosen to ignore rather than manage them.

The lesson is clear. The government must negotiate with U.S. authorities to expand the quota for work visas and establish solid institutional safeguards so that employees who were detained do not face further disadvantages when entering or leaving the country in the future. Only when employees who worry about completing the factory as soon as they return home can work with stability will Korea-U.S. industrial cooperation be firmly established.