Foreign Ministry voices regret over US release of video showing Koreans chained in massive raid
Seoul scrambled on Sunday to respond after US immigration authorities detained more than 300 South Koreans Thursday in a raid at a Hyundai–LG battery plant in Georgia, taking them into custody in what local officials called the largest single-site enforcement operation in Homeland Security history.
South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo expressed regret over the US release of video footage showing the arrest of Korean workers during the immigration raid.
Park made the remarks during a phone call with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker on Saturday night, which was held at her request, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said in a press statement.
The phone call came after Homeland Security Investigations confirmed Friday that most of the 475 people arrested were South Koreans.
The plant is being built by HL-GA Battery Co., a joint venture between South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution, as one of the biggest foreign investments in the state of Georgia.
During the call, Park provided a detailed explanation of the situation and "asked for the State Department’s special cooperation," according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul.
“Vice Minister Park expressed regret that this incident occurred at a critical juncture, when the trust and cooperative momentum established between the two leaders through the first summit following the launch of the new governments of both countries must be continuously maintained — and especially over the release of footage showing the arrest of our nationals,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security, on Friday released video of its Thursday raid showing individuals believed to be South Koreans being arrested, handcuffed, and chained.
The arrests also come at a sensitive moment in relations with a key ally, as US President Donald Trump presses for trade deals and greater South Korean investment in the United States, with Seoul pinning hopes on a modernization of the decadeslong alliance.
Seoul noted that the US immigration raid and video release came less than two weeks after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump sat down for the first time on Aug. 25 in Washington. He was accompanied by South Korean business leaders committing an additional $150 billion in direct investments in the US.
Park also “repeatedly emphasized that the State Department should actively step in for a fair and swift resolution of the matter” during his phone call with Hooker, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said.
Park reiterated that “the rights and interests of the Korean people and the investments of Korean companies in the US should not be unfairly infringed upon in the course of US law enforcement.”
In response, Hooker said that “the State Department has been closely monitoring the matter and maintaining close communication with relevant agencies,” the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said.
Hooker also “noted that the incident was related to Korea’s investment in the United States and proposed holding close consultations on an ongoing basis,” according to the ministry.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun presided over the first meeting on Saturday afternoon at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Seoul to discuss countermeasures for the largest-ever detention of Koreans.
Cho instructed officials to carry out President Lee’s order to undertake an “all-out response” to swiftly resolve the detention of more than 300 South Koreans — a figure he said was the South Korean government’s current estimate.
Cho also said the meeting would cover the option of him traveling to Washington to resolve the issue.
South Korea has established an on-site task force to respond to the mass arrest of South Koreans in Georgia, led by Cho Ki-joong, consul general at the Korean Embassy in the US.
Consular officials began meeting Saturday with South Korean nationals held at an immigration detention center in Folkston, Georgia, according to Yonhap News.
“During the consultations, consuls are basically checking if there are any humanitarian issues or inconveniences, and asking the US side to ensure that those issues won’t arise,” an official with the South Korean government’s on-site support team said.
The team is working to secure the detainees’ release as soon as possible amid concerns that the investigation could drag on.
US immigration authorities said the individuals were found to be working illegally, including some on short-term or recreational visas that do not allow employment.
Georgia politician Tori Branum, who said she tipped off authorities, told Yonhap News she “did not expect so many Koreans to be arrested.”
Many workers had entered the United States on short-term travel authorizations such as ESTA or B-1 business visas, which permit meetings and business activities but strictly prohibit employment. Immigration officials reportedly said that was the central issue in the raid.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
