When Business Becomes Political: The U.S. Jails LG Workers

Image source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2025/09/11/trump-wanted-detained-hyundai-plant-workers-to-stay-back-delaying-us-exit-south-korea-claims/

On September 4, 2025, U.S. immigration authorities arrested over 300 South Korean workers who were stationed to train U.S. workers on the installation and operation of specialized equipment at the new Hyundai-LG electric vehicle battery plant in Georgia. This led to outrage from both South Korean immigrants and citizens in South Korea, who expressed that they felt betrayed and angered by this situation, especially since on August 25, 2025, Presidents Trump and Lee had a meeting at the White House discussing their relationship.

But why were the workers detained? The South Korean workers were brought under short-term visas or visa-waiver programs such as the B-1 business visa or the ESTA. However, ICE had allegedly uncovered unlawful employment practices at the battery plant, with some workers overstaying visas or holding unauthorized visas for the work they were doing.

Although these reasons may be valid, there are two issues regarding the detainment. The first is the search warrant. The search warrant used to detain over 300 workers was initially focused on four specific individuals. While the four individuals most likely were in the U.S. illegally, there were certainly workers with valid visas in the mix. This means that the investigation of four individuals caused over 300 workers to be handled in this way. The second issue is the method ICE used to detain the South Korean workers. After the arrest warrant allowed a raid to happen around 10 a.m., workers on the site were searched and rounded up. In the process, many were shackled, restrained with zip ties on ankles and wrists, and even had waist restraints. Some even had chains around their waist, legs, and wrists. Not only that, but the detention conditions were very poor, as they were initially held in five 72-person rooms with overcrowding, without clocks or windows. The cell was also cold, leading some workers to wrap themselves in towels.

After diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. and South Korea, a chartered flight was arranged from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to repatriate most of the South Korean workers, as they opted for voluntary departure. But is this really it? There is an argument that the detaining process was akin to how countries handle prisoners of war, as Labor Minister Kim Younghoon described. The shackles, the environment of detainment, and the uncertainty of what would happen next led to many workers expressing trauma and fear. The U.S. proved that the treatment shown to the workers cannot be accepted, especially given that the two countries are allies. However, one thing is for certain: the boundaries of business and politics have been blurred by this situation, and there must be new regulations to prevent future occurrences.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Georgia_Hyundai_plant_immigration_raid?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/sep/12/south-korean-outrage-at-us-detention-ordeal-as-300-workers-return-home