Lesson about negotiating with Donald Trump now understood by South Korea
In a surprising turn of events, the largest immigration raid of President Donald Trump's second term targeted a Hyundai-LG battery plant construction site in Georgia, resulting in the arrest of nearly 500 people, mostly South Korean nationals. The incident has caused outrage in South Korea and may have a chilling effect on business deals with the Trump administration.
Last week, President Donald Trump and the President of South Korea, Lee Jae Myung, met in the Oval Office and announced $350 billion committed by Seoul to expand its manufacturing operations in the United States. However, this commitment now seems to be under scrutiny following the raid on the Hyundai-LG battery plant.
American authorities had previously turned a blind eye to Korean workers with questionable documentation, but this time, about 300 Korean workers and 175 Latino workers were arrested. The name of the officer who coordinated the raid has not been publicly disclosed.
Korean conglomerates often bring in their own workers for setting up operations, installing proprietary equipment, and training less-skilled hourly employees. None of the arrested workers are direct employees of Hyundai, but about 50 work for LG Energy Solutions and another 250 work for HL-GA Battery Company.
The Financial Times reported that Korean conglomerates are in an "impossible position" due to multiple administrations pushing them to invest in American industry without facilitating short-term visas necessary for timely project completion. In response, Samsung has issued internal guidelines on US business travel on short-term visas, limiting trips to two weeks.
The raid was front-page news across South Korea over the weekend, leading with images of workers being loaded onto buses. The incident has highlighted the potential for mistreatment of foreign workers in the US, particularly in light of reports about squalid migrant detention centers.
South Korean officials plan to charter a flight to bring the detained workers back to their home country this week. The Washington Post reported that Choi Jong-gun, a former vice foreign minister, described the treatment of the Korean workers as "shocking" and "inhumane".
The incident has prompted Hyundai to review its US investment commitment and business trips to the US. This development comes at a time when the US-South Korea trade relationship is already under strain due to ongoing disputes over automobile tariffs and technology transfers.
The fallout from the raid on the Hyundai-LG battery plant construction site could have far-reaching implications for the future of US-South Korea business relations and the treatment of foreign workers in the US.
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