South Korea minister heads to US amid fallout from ICE Hyundai raid
South Korea’s foreign minister departed for the U.S. on Monday following the mass immigration raid by U.S. government officials on the Hyundai-LG battery factory in Georgia last week when some 300 South Koreans were detained.
While speaking with reporters ahead of his trip to the U.S., South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun called it "a grave situation" and said he was in communication with Washington after U.S. immigration authorities on Friday arrested 475 individuals from the plant near Savannah in what federal officials called the "largest-ever" workplace raid.
Details of the immigration-related violations remain unclear, but on Monday South Korean officials suggested workers may have surpassed their 90-day visa waivers, violating the terms of their temporary visa.
SOUTH KOREA REACHES DEAL WITH US TO RELEASE WORKERS DETAINED AFTER IMMIGRATION RAID
According to a Reuters report, Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said he was made aware that some experts may have traveled to the U.S. to assist with a test run of the electric car factory which was set to begin production in October ahead of obtaining the appropriate documentation.
"You need to get a visa to do a test run, but it's very difficult to get an official visa. Time was running out, and I think experts went to the United States," he said.
President Donald Trump appeared to address the situation in a Truth Social post Sunday evening when he said, "Following the Immigration Enforcement Operation on the Hyundai Battery Plant in Georgia, I am hereby calling on all Foreign Companies investing in the United States to please respect our Nation’s Immigration Laws."
TRUMP BACKS ICE RAID AT HYUNDAI PLANT, BUT SAYS US NEEDS FOREIGN EXPERTS TO TRAIN AMERICANS
"Your investments are welcome, and we encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products, and we will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so," he added. "What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers."
The raid came just ten days after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Trump in Washington and pledged to increase business ties.
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The most recent raid has prompted questions over how it could impact the U.S.’s future agreements with one of its chief east Asia allies.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions over whether the U.S. had plans to make its visa programs more efficient following the president’s comments.
Reuters contributed to this report.
