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Seoul expresses ‘concern’ over US immigration raid at Hyundai’s Georgia plant

Operations at Hyundai’s US$7.6 billion EV manufacturing plant, which employs about 1,200 people, were not interrupted

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A Hyundai Motor’s electric car Ioniq at a electric charging station in Seoul. Photo: Reuters
Associated Press
South Korea on Friday expressed “concern and regret” over a major US immigration raid at a sprawling Georgia site where South Korean auto company Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles.

Some 475 people were detained during the raid, according to a Homeland Security official.

Steven Schrank, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, said at a news briefing on Friday that the majority of the people detained were from South Korea.

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“This operation underscores our commitment to jobs for Georgians and Americans,” Schrank said.

He said the detained workers were part of a “network of subcontractors”, and that the employees worked for a variety of different companies on the site.

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South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong described the number of detained South Koreans as “large”, though he did not provide an exact figure.

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