Koreans detained in US Hyundai raid return home
Over 300 Koreans were detained at the plant last week
What happened
More than 300 South Koreans detained last week in a U.S. immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia landed in South Korea on Friday on a government charter flight. The Trump administration released the 316 Koreans and 14 other Asian nationals from a detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, on Thursday under a deal with Seoul.
Who said what
The mass detention and the “U.S. release of video showing some Korean workers shackled with chains around their hands, ankles and waists have caused public outrage and a sense of betrayal in South Korea,” The Associated Press said. The workers had been expected to arrive Thursday, but President Donald Trump “temporarily delayed the repatriation” to “explore whether they could stay in the United States to educate and train American workers,” The Washington Post said, citing South Korean officials.
South Korean companies, which have invested tens of billions of dollars in U.S. manufacturing facilities, might now be “very hesitant” to expand their U.S. operations, President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday. “I think this will have a significant impact on direct investments in the United States moving forward.” The Korean facility managers “are not there for long-term research or employment,” he added, just to oversee the installation of “machinery and equipment.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Once Georgia’s Hyundai-LG Energy Solution EV battery plant is fully operational, it will hire more than 8,000 American workers, the companies have pledged. Hyundai Motors CEO José Muñoz said Thursday that the raid will set back construction by at least two to three months.
-
Political cartoons for January 17Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include hard hats, compliance, and more
-
Ultimate pasta alla NormaThe Week Recommends White miso and eggplant enrich the flavour of this classic pasta dish
-
Death in Minneapolis: a shooting dividing the USIn the Spotlight Federal response to Renee Good’s shooting suggest priority is ‘vilifying Trump’s perceived enemies rather than informing the public’
-
Will Democrats impeach Kristi Noem?Today’s Big Question Centrists, lefty activists also debate abolishing ICE
-
Trump threatens Minnesota with Insurrection ActSpeed Read The law was passed in 1807 but has rarely been used
-
White House halts migrant visas for 75 countriesSpeed Read Brazil, Egypt, Russia, Iran and Somalia are among the nations on the list
-
Trump, Senate GOP block Venezuela war powers voteSpeed Read Two Republicans senators flipped their vote back amid GOP pressure
-
White House ends TPS protections for SomalisSpeed Read The Trump administration has given these Somalis until March 17 to leave the US
-
Clintons defy House GOP on Epstein subpoenasSpeed Read The House has already received what ‘little information we have,’ the Clintons said
-
Prosecutors quit as DOJ pushes probe of Good widowSpeed Read At least six prosecutors have resigned in Minnesota
-
Judge clears wind farm construction to resumeSpeed Read The Trump administration had ordered the farm shuttered in December over national security issues
