SEPT 15 – The South Korean government says it is investigating potential human rights violations during the raid and detention of Korean workers by US authorities.
South Korea has expressed “strong regret” to the US and has officially asked that its citizens’ rights and interests are not infringed during law enforcement proceedings, said a presidential spokesperson on Monday.
More than 300 South Korean workers returned home on Friday after being held for a week following a raid at an electric vehicle battery plant in the US state of Georgia.
The incident has tested ties between the countries, even as South Korean firms are set to invest billions in America under a trade deal to avoid steep US tariffs.
South Korean authorities will work with the relevant companies to “thoroughly investigate any potential human rights violations or other issues”, said the presidential spokesperson during a press briefing.
The BBC has contacted the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment.
The raid has raised tensions between the US and South Korea, where many of those detained were from, with President Lee Jae-myung warning that it will discourage foreign investment into the US.
He called the situation “bewildering”, adding that it is a common practice for Korean companies to send workers to help set up overseas factories.
Last week, Hyundai said the plant’s opening will be delayed by at least two months.
South Korea’s trade unions have called on Trump to issue an official apology.
On 4 September, around 475 people – mostly South Korean nationals – were arrested at a Hyundai-operated plant, in what marked the largest single-location immigration raid since US President Donald Trump launched a crackdown on illegal migrants earlier this year.
ICE officials said the South Koreans had overstayed their visas or were not permitted to work in the US.
A South Korean worker who witnessed the raid told the BBC of panic and confusion as federal agents descended on the site, with some people being led away in chains.
Trump has said foreign workers sent to the country are “welcome” and he doesn’t want to “frighten off” investors.
The US needs to learn from foreign experts of fields like shipbuilding, chipmaking and computing, Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.
“We welcome them, we welcome their employees, and we are willing to proudly say we will learn from them, and do even better than them at their own ‘game,’ sometime in the not too distant future,” he said.
By BBC
