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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
South Korea’s president says Georgia ICE raid could have
‘considerable impact’ on direct US investment from his country
By Jessie Yeung, Yoonjung Seo and Marianna Kim, CNN
Updated:
3:50 AM EDT, Thu September 11, 2025
Source: CNN
The ICE raid on more than in Georgia could impact future South Korean
investment in the US, its president said on Thursday, adding the
fallout had created a “very confusing” situation for Korean
companies there.
His comments come as South Korea reels from the raids – one of the
largest by US immigration enforcement agencies in recent years, and
which threatens to create a rift between two close partners that have
long cooperated on military and economic matters.
South Korean businesses in the US “need to build facilities, install
equipment, and set up factories, which requires skilled technicians,”
Lee Jae Myung said at a press conference that marked his 100th day in
office.
He added that confusion over the current visa situation for South
Koreans would lead local companies to question “whether they should
go at all.”
“This issue could have a considerable impact on foreign direct
investment in the US,” he said. “We are urging the US side to
normalize the visa process related to investment, whether by securing
sufficient visa quotas or by creating a new category of visa.”
Lee’s comments come as the South Korean workers detained in Georgia
on a Thursday flight and arrive in Seoul on Friday.
They will return home to a country that has been dismayed on their
behalf, with many viewing the images of shackled workers being marched
onto buses as the betrayal of a bilateral friendship forged over more
than seven decades since the end of the Korean War.
On Thursday, South Korea’s foreign ministry said had temporarily
paused the deportation process to discuss the workers’ potential
future in the US.
“President Trump temporarily paused the procedure in order to listen
to our position on whether it would be possible for our nationals,
who’re all skilled workers, to continue working in the US,” the
foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The South Korean side made it clear that under no circumstances
should there be delays in their departure and return, and that swift
and safe movement of our nationals should be ensured,” it said.
However, it added, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun had told Secretary of
State Marco Rubio “that it would be best if our nationals first
returned home and then reentered the US to resume work, and the US side
said it respected this position and would promptly move forward with
the repatriation schedule.”
US and South Korean officials also discussed the process for bringing
the workers home – with Trump reportedly instructing immigration
authorities to transport the workers “without handcuffs or other
physical restraints, despite strict US escort regulations, per our
request,” the foreign ministry said.
Outrage and shock
The South Korean workers were taken into custody last Thursday during a
sweeping ICE operation at a battery plant under construction in
Ellabell, approximately 25 miles west of Savannah.
The plant is a joint venture between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution,
two giants of South Korean industry that have made major multi-billion
dollar investments in the US.
The news, along with images of workers being lined up and restrained
with long chains, sparked widespread frustration and outcry across the
political spectrum in South Korea. Many fear the detentions could on
any business thinking of striking a deal on US soil.
“It was like ‘a slap in the face’ moment,” Choi Jong Kun, South
Korea’s former First Vice Foreign Minister, told CNN.
Some of the 475 detained entered the US illegally, according to Steven
Schrank, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge,
while others had overstayed their visas. Others were in here under the
which allows workers to travel for tourism or business for up to 90
days.
But Cho Hee-kyoung, a law professor at Seoul’s Hongik University,
told CNN South Korean workers have long worked under visa arrangements
similar to those detained in Georgia and pointed to the ongoing problem
of the US approving too few business visas.
Lawyers for some of the detained workers insist their clients were
legally working on the Georgia site.
Some US lawmakers have recently pushed to address the lack of visas for
South Korean workers. A bill called the was introduced in the House in
July but hasn’t moved since.
Cho, the foreign minister, and Rubio discussed potentially creating new
visa categories for South Korean workers during their meeting on
Wednesday, according to a readout from the South Korean foreign
ministry.
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