300 South Koreans detained at Hyundai plant in US to be released, says Seoul | US immigration
South Korea announced on Sunday that around 300 of its nationals held during an immigration raid in Georgia would be released and returned home, while the sudden detention of workers seemed to submit long -standing diplomatic and economic relations between the two nations.
Nearly 500 workers, including at least 300 South Koreans and at least 23 Mexicans, were arrested Thursday at the Hyundai-LG battery plant in the city of Ellabelll.
The American authorities have published images of the raid, which showed detained workers, retained by handcuffs and ankle chains, loaded on the buses.
The RAID marked the largest unique scan carried out as part of the Donald Trump national anti-immigration campaign.
“Following the quick and united response … The negotiations for the release of detained workers were concluded,” said Kang Hoon-Sik, chief of staff to South President Lee Myung, Kang.
“There are only administrative procedures. Once these are finished, an chartered flight will leave to bring our citizens back home, “he said.
The director of LG, Kim Ki-Soo, went to Georgia in an apparent effort to slow down the benefits. “Immediate priority is now the rapid release of employees of our LG Energy Solution and those of our partner companies,” Ki-SOOF said before climbing an airplane.
LG Energy Solution said that 47 of its workers had been detained, including 46 South Koreans and an Indonesian. It is believed that around 250 of the detained persons would be used by the LG Energy Solution entrepreneur, the majority of whom are South Koreans.
South Korean officials said that US dissemination by US officials of the RAID was unfortunate, since the leaders of the two countries recently met to discuss trade.
Park Yoon-Joo, the first vice-minister of Foreign Affairs in South Korea, would have told the American Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, that it was lamentable that the RAID took place “at a critical moment, when the momentum of confidence and cooperation between the two leaders, forged during their first summit, must be maintained”.
“The economic activities of our companies that have invested in the United States and the rights and interests of our citizens should not be unjustly raped during the American police,” said Park, said a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Trump’s comments have risked more tensions between the United States and South Korea. “I would say they were illegal foreigners and that the ice was only doing their job,” said Trump when he asked the raid.
The immigration raid also seems to fly to the recent pressure of managers for South Korean investment in the United States. South Korea and the United States has recently negotiated a trade agreement, part of which is a fund of $ 250 billion to help South Korean businesses to come in the US markets.
Trump could also go to South Korea in October for an economic cooperation meeting in Asia-Pacific, according to CNN.
South Korea has said that it would try to rationalize access to visas so that its nationals work in the United States to “prevent a similar incident”.
