South Korea's top diplomat may travel to US after migrant raid that nabbed hundreds

Soo-Hyang Choi, Bloomberg News on Sep 6, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

South Korea’s top diplomat said he’ll travel to Washington if needed over a U.S. migrant raid at a Hyundai Motor Co. manufacturing complex, confirming that more than 300 among 475 people detained under the operation are its citizens.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun presided over an emergency response meeting in Seoul on Saturday after U.S. federal agents carried out the sweep at a construction site for an electric-vehicle battery plant near Savannah, Georgia, this week.

“The president has emphasized that the economic activities of our companies investing in the U.S. must not be unduly infringed upon in the course of U.S. law enforcement,” Cho said at the start of the meeting. “We will review promptly dispatching a senior official to the site, including myself traveling to Washington to engage in consultations with the U.S. administration, if needed.”

South Korea has expressed concerns and regret to the U.S. via its embassy in Seoul, Cho said.

The sweep was part of a months-long investigation into employment practices and was the biggest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the Homeland Security Department’s investigative arm. It’s part of a broader push by the Trump administration, which has promised the largest deportation campaign in U.S. history.

According to a search warrant unsealed Friday, agents were authorized to seize employment records, immigration documents and correspondence with government agencies, as well as records from contractors and subcontractors tied to the project. Four individuals were named as targets of the search. People determined to be working unlawfully were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal proceedings, according to Steve Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations.

South Korea has been emerging as a major investor in the U.S., a trend fueled by the nations’ recent trade deal. That agreement includes a $350 billion fund to help Korean companies enter the U.S. market, with $150 billion dedicated to the shipbuilding industry. Private companies are also set to directly invest another $150 billion in the U.S., a pledge announced as President Lee Jae Myung held his first summit with President Donald Trump last month.

The federal action occurred at HL-GA Battery Co., a joint venture between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution Ltd. that’s intended to supply Hyundai’s new electric-vehicle production hub — a cornerstone of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s economic development strategy.

_____