South Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution (LGES) has suspended business travel to the United States after 47 of its employees were detained in a sweeping immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia, deepening diplomatic tensions between Washington and Seoul.
The company, which co-owns the facility near Savannah, said on Saturday it had also advised all employees currently in the US to return home immediately. The move followed the arrest of 475 workers during Thursday’s operation, the largest single-site enforcement action ever carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). More than 300 of those detained were South Korean nationals.
The unprecedented raid has shocked South Korea, where officials have scrambled to secure the release of their citizens. Seoul has already announced plans to dispatch a chartered plane to bring detainees home once administrative procedures are completed.
When asked if he was concerned about the fallout for US-South Korea relations, President Donald Trump defended the crackdown. “I would say that they were illegal aliens, and ICE was just doing its job,” he told reporters on Friday.
US officials insisted the enforcement action was lawful and necessary. “We welcome all companies who want to invest in the U.S., and if they need to bring workers in for building or other projects, that’s fine — but they need to do it the legal way,” said Steven N. Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama.
Schrank added that some US citizens and lawful permanent residents were mistakenly detained during the raid but later released.
The arrests have triggered mounting concern in Seoul, where leaders fear the crackdown could undermine billions of dollars in South Korean investment tied to a new trade deal signed with Washington just two weeks ago. The Hyundai-LG venture, described by Georgia officials as the state’s largest economic development project, is central to US electric vehicle production and employs about 1,200 people.
South Korean Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, in a televised address on Sunday, said the government would strengthen oversight of its visa system to avoid similar disputes in the future. “We will not let our guard down until we have our people safely back home,” he said.
The raid has already sparked calls from South Korea’s opposition parties for stronger government action, with critics warning that the arrests could discourage further investment in the US. Meanwhile, South Korean media has described the incident as a “shock” that risks straining one of Washington’s closest alliances in Asia.