Georgia moves to shore up Korea ties as Hyundai takes stock after ICE raid

As construction stopped this week at the South Korean-owned battery factory at the center of an immigration firestorm, Georgia moved amid the fallout to shore up its vital four-decade partnership with the country.

Nearly 500 workers, including some 300 South Korean nationals, were arrested last week in a sweeping Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on a joint venture battery plant run by Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution near Savannah. 

The Korean contingent returned to Seoul this week on a chartered Korean Air flight after an unexpected last-ditch effort by President Donald Trump to get them to stay. 

The spectacle, described as a shock by some in Georgia’s Korean community, has tested the alliance and raised questions about American openness to Korean investment just weeks after President Lee Jae Myung visited the White House to pledge $350 billion in investment and energy purchases as part of a deal to reduce Korea’s tariff rate. 

In a news conference, Mr. Lee said companies would naturally be “hesitant” to commit new funds or send workers in the immediate aftermath. That feeling may be exacerbated after a week of worldwide broadcasts showing shackled Korean workers being led off by ICE agents. 

So far, however, some of Georgia’s other landmark Korean projects continue apace. Reached Friday by Global Atlanta, SK Battery said that construction on its own joint venture with Hyundai across the state in Cartersville — another approximately $5 billion project — had not been affected.  

Still, the events have put a strain on Georgia, whose leaders have described Korea — and the promised 8,500 jobs at the Hyundai Metaplant — as a centerpiece of the state’s economic strategy. 

Hyundai Motor Co. CEO Jose Muñoz told reporters this week in Detroit that the raid would push back construction of the $4.3 billion battery factory for at least two to three months. Opened last December, the Hyundai assembly plant on the site continues to make Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9 SUVs uninterrupted. 

In a statement provided to Global Atlanta, Mr. Muñoz said Hyundai remains not just committed to Georgia, but filled with “unwavering confidence in this state’s future.” 

“We’re not just building vehicles here—we’re building careers, strengthening communities, and helping lead the future of mobility in America. Our Georgia operations will create more than 40,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region. It’s fulfilling to know we’re helping so many Americans achieve their American Dream. Georgia’s partnership has been exceptional, and Hyundai’s commitment to this state and its people is stronger than ever,” Mr. Muñoz said. 

Hyundai on Sept. 5 issued a statement asserting “zero tolerance” for legal violations on the site, noting that none of the detained workers were its direct employees. The company dispatched North America Chief Manufacturing Officer Chris Susock to supervise the entire mega-site. 

At issue for the Department of Homeland Security was the status of workers who had come over to work for LG and contractors for the joint venture. The department said many had either overstayed their visas or come through the Visa Waiver Program but were not authorized to work. Some lawyers for the workers have publicly disputed that account, saying their clients were following the law. 

Either way, advocates for the Korean companies see a contradiction in U.S. policy toward the country: encouraging large investments but not providing a way to bring in the talent needed to commission the plants and get to the good part: employing Americans and making profits. 

Some Korea watchers were looking for a silver lining in the situation, expressing hope that the fallout would lead to a resolution of this tension. 

The Southeast U.S. Korea Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta issued a statement encouraging Korean companies to follow the law and engage deeply with the communities where they’re investing, but also for the U.S. and Korea to streamline “short-term work authorizations” as Korean companies invest in American economic resiliency.  

“The reality of today’s next generation of manufacturing in the U.S. is that it requires workers from countries such as the (Republic of Korea) to support and train U.S. workers in constructing new state-of-the-art facilities, transfer operational knowledge and specialized skills, and install new machinery and equipment for efficient and effective site set-up,” the statement reads. “However, in practice, Korean companies remain crippled by lack of U.S. work authorization options for its home country workers to engage in cross-border training and collaboration.” Read the full statement here or embedded below

For Georgia’s part, economic development Commissioner Pat Wilson chatted with Mr. Muñoz in Detroit this week as they attended an Automotive News event in support of Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Euisun Chung, who was being honored by the publication. 

A spokesperson from the Gov. Brian Kemp’s office said the governor aimed to make sure the events didn’t derail the state’s relationship with the company or with South Korea, where the state is marking 40 years since it opened a trade and investment office in Seoul.

“We are thankful they are reiterating their commitment to adhere to all state and federal laws, just as we remain committed to not allowing this unfortunate incident to undo the decades of mutually beneficial partnerships we’ve built together,” the spokesperson wrote. 

See the full statement from the governor’s office here: 

“Georgia has always worked to maintain a strong relationship with the Republic of Korea and Korean partners like Hyundai, stretching back 40 years to the establishment of Georgia’s trade office in Seoul. We are thankful they are reiterating their commitment to adhere to all state and federal laws, just as we remain committed to not allowing this unfortunate incident to undo the decades of mutually beneficial partnerships we’ve built together. We celebrate the ongoing production at the Metaplant since late 2024, and we look forward to the completion of the battery facility as part of the largest economic development project in state history. This generational project has already created more than 2,800 long-term Georgia jobs, and along with suppliers, thousands more jobs will be coming to hardworking Georgians who have called the state home for years. As President Trump has also noted, our relationships with the government and businesses of Korea stand on a firm foundation, and we will move forward in building on that foundation.”

See the statement from the Southeast U.S. Korea Chamber here:

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