South Korea Responds to Immigration Raid on Hyundai Motor-LG Car Battery Factory in US

Strategic Insights -

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has taken swift action to address the arrests of hundreds of the country's citizens in an immigration raid on a Hyundai Motor-LG car battery factory in the United States. The raid, carried out by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), resulted in the arrest of 475 workers, with more than 300 being South Korean nationals. South Korea's Foreign Minister, Cho Hyun, has been instructed by President Lee to resolve the matter quickly, emphasizing that the rights and interests of South Korean nationals and the business operations of South Korean companies investing in the US must not be compromised.

Key Takeaways:

  • The immigration raid on the Hyundai Motor-LG car battery factory near Savannah, Georgia, resulted in the arrest of 475 workers, with 300 being South Korean nationals.
  • South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has ordered all-out efforts to respond to the incident, with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun leading the government's efforts to resolve the matter.
  • The South Korean government has set up a team to respond to the arrest of the South Korean nationals and has considered sending a senior Foreign Ministry official to the site.
  • US President Donald Trump has justified the ICE action, stating that those detained were "illegal aliens" and that ICE was simply doing its job.
  • The Hyundai Motor-LG car battery factory is intended to supply batteries for electric vehicles, highlighting the economic and business implications of the incident.
  • South Korea's opposition People Power Party (PPP) has reacted angrily to the detentions, warning that it could pose a serious risk to Korean companies and communities in the US.

Statistics:

  • 475 workers were arrested in the immigration raid on the Hyundai Motor-LG car battery factory.
  • Over 300 of the arrested workers were South Korean nationals.
  • The South Korean government has invested billions of dollars into building factories in the US to access the US market and avoid tariff threats from Trump.
  • The Hyundai Motor-LG car battery factory is part of a larger investment in the US, with South Korean companies investing billions of dollars in the country.

Sources:

  • [www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/5/south-korea-objects-as-us-immigration-raids-hyundai-plant]
  • [www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/26/trump-to-south-koreas-lee-look-forward-to-meeting-n-koreas-kim-jong-un]