South Korea’s foreign minister is considering a trip to the U.S. to meet with the Trump administration after hundreds of South Koreans were arrested in Georgia at an electric vehicle battery plant.
South Korea’s foreign minister is considering a trip to the U.S. to meet with the Trump administration after hundreds of South Korean nationals were arrested in Georgia this week at an electric vehicle battery plant.
« We are deeply concerned and feel a heavy sense of responsibility over the arrests of our nationals », Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said at an emergency meeting in Seoul, according to the national Yonhap News Agency.
He said South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for all-out efforts to swiftly resolve the matter, Yonhap reported, « stressing that the rights and interests of South Korean nationals and the business operations of South Korean companies investing in the United States must not be infringed upon. »
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 475 people, most of them South Korean nationals, in a raid Thursday at a massive electric vehicle battery plant under construction in Ellabell, Ga., near Savannah. The plant is a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution.
ICE released video of what officials say is the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the Homeland Security Investigations. It shows officers shackling workers and loading them onto Georgia prison buses.
« This operation underscores our commitment to protecting jobs for Georgians and Americans », said Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of homeland security investigations for Georgia and Alabama, during a news conference announcing the operation.
