By rssfeeds-admin In early September, a federal immigration raid at a Hyundai battery plant under construction in Georgia drew scrutiny from South Korean officials and businesses.
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More than 450 people were detained, most of them South Korean workers.
Kemp said he anticipated the issue would be a major topic of discussion during his visit to Seoul.
“All the companies that we talked to had great discussions about that issue,” Kemp said. “I didn’t sense a lot of concerns. Those conversations actually went better than I thought they would just because of the things that we’ve been doing in Georgia, the communication that we’ve had with President Trump and the White House on the visa and ESTA issue. And I think if nothing else, there’s going to be good things that come out of an unfortunate situation.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Impact of ICE raid on Hyundai battery plant felt from Georgia to South Korea
WRBL News 3 spoke to Dr. Daewoo Lee, interim chair of the Policy, Justice, and Public Safety Department at Columbus State University, who said the raid had caused confusion between the two countries.
“In one word, it’s unfortunate,” Lee said. “There’s a little bit of confusion between both sides — U.S. as well as South Korea. And there are many positive, mutually beneficial activities going on between South Korea and Georgia. But because of some confusion, this happened. And it is just unfortunate. But I think things are getting cleared up and moving in the right direction.”
South Korea’s partnership with Georgia dates back to 2005, when Kia opened its manufacturing plant in West Point. That partnership expanded with Hyundai’s new $7.6 billion facility near Savannah.
South Korean companies have invested more than $24 billion in Georgia over the past decade.
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