ICE raid on Korean workers could strain shipyard agreements
US immigration authorities' agents stormed the Hyundai-LG plant in Georgia (Source: Hyundai)
An immigration raid on a battery plant in Georgia, and the subsequent arrest, detainment and deportation of South Korean contract workers, has become an embarrassment for the Trump administration at a time when the US is looking to Korean assistance with its ‘Ships for America’ plan.
Some 300 factory workers arrived in Seoul this week, after being handcuffed, arrested and detained by US immigration authorities (ICE) in a raid on a Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia. The raid has shaken confidence in the US among the South Korean public.
US Diplomat Christopher Landau responded by expressing “deep regret” over the incident, according to the South Korean foreign ministry, which is pushing the US Government to introduce a new visa category for Korean nationals.
A July agreement between HD Hyundai and US’ Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO), to build mid-sized LNG dual-fuel containerships in the US from 2028, could be jeopardised by falling-out between South Korea’s Government and the Trump Adminstration; Likewise Hanwha Ocean, which acquired Philadelphia’s Philly Shipyard last year, recently announced a USD 5bn investment to add new docks, quays, and a new block assembly facility, with the plan ultimately to bring the shipyard’s capacity from two vessels to as many as 20 at a time.
On Sunday, President Trump took to his personal social media site, Truth Social, to allay fears. “I don’t want to frighten off or disincentivise Investment into America by outside countries or companies,” he said. “We welcome them, we welcome their employees, and we are willing to proudly say we will learn from them, and do even better than them at their own ‘game,’ sometime into the not too distant future!” he added.
