▲ Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during an emergency meeting on the arrests of South Korean nationals at the foreign ministry in Seoul on Sept. 6, 2025. (Yonhap)
▲ This photo, captured from the social media X account of the Atlanta bureau of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, shows agents carrying out a raid at the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution venture's electric vehicle battery plant construction site in Ellabell, located in Bryan County, west of Savannah, in Georgia on Sept. 4, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(4th LD) FM-US immigration crackdown

(4th LD) FM Cho says to consider U.S. visit to discuss immigration crackdown on S. Koreans with Trump administration

(ATTN: UPDATES with ICE video clip in paras 19-22)

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Saturday he may visit the United States to discuss with Washington the arrests of hundreds of South Koreans by U.S. immigration authorities at a South Korean battery plant site in Georgia.

Cho made the remarks as he presided over an emergency meeting on the immigration crackdown, confirming that more than 300 out of 457 people who were taken into custody are South Korean nationals.

"We are deeply concerned and feel a heavy sense of responsibility over the arrests of our nationals," Cho said at the start of the meeting, attended by two vice ministers, officials from the ministry and overseas missions.

"We will discuss sending a senior foreign ministry official to the site without delay, and, if necessary, I will personally travel to Washington to hold consultations with the U.S. administration," he said.

Cho said President Lee Jae Myung has instructed officials to make all-out efforts to swiftly resolve the matter, 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.

Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Ji-na expressed regret and concern over the crackdown during a meeting with acting U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Joseph Yun on Thursday, Cho said.

U.S. authorities carried out a search warrant at an electric vehicle battery plant construction site operated by HL-GA Battery Co., the joint venture between Hyundai Motor Co. and LG Energy Solution Ltd. in Bryan County near Savannah on Thursday.

They described the raid as a criminal probe into alleged unlawful employment practices.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday the arrested people are "illegal aliens" and the immigration officials were "just doing their job."

Steven Schrank, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for Georgia, said the individuals in custody include those who came in through a visa waiver program that bans them from working, or had overstayed their visas.

Most of them are being held at a detention center in Folkston, Georgia.

HL-GA Battery Co. said it is fully cooperating with the authorities and has paused construction to assist their work.

U.S. authorities have called the raid "the largest single site enforcement operation in the history" of the HSI.

In a statement Saturday, LG Energy Solution said it has suspended all business trips to the U.S. and has instructed employees currently visiting the U.S. to stay in their accommodations or return home immediately.

The company's chief human resources officer will depart for the U.S. the following day to address the issues on site, the firm said.

"We will make every effort to promptly resolve the situation, including ensuring the speedy and safe return of all employees," the firm noted.

Of those in custody, 47 have been confirmed as LG Energy Solution employees, while the others are related to HL-GA Battery.

Most were reportedly dispatched to carry out final construction work, such as electrical installations, ahead the plant's planned completion next year.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unveiled a short video clip of Thursday's raid into the plant site, showing Korean and other workers being screened, shackled with handcuffs and metal chains, and loaded onto an "inmate transport" vehicle.

The video started with a scene in which a convoy of immigration authorities' vehicles is heading toward the site. It then showed armed police officers in full gear waiting outside the site, while people inside were moving out in a line apparently for screening procedures.

In another scene, people were raising their hands while officials were placing metal chains around their feet and handcuffing them before being loaded onto a bus. It also showed several people captured from what appeared to be a pond near the plant site.

In a press release, ICE welcomed companies seeking to invest in the U.S., but stressed they have to "adhere to the law."

(END)

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