US President Donald Trump had offered hundreds of South Korean workers arrested during an immigration descent in Georgia the possibility of staying in the United States, but almost all have chosen to return home, South Korean officials announced on Thursday. According to the reuters news agency, only one worker decided to stay.The president’s offer, aimed at encouraging employees to train American workers, has led to a day of a flight initially expected to return the group to South Korea. The flight is expected to leave later Thursday. TV images have shown that workers boarding buses around 2 am (local time) of the closed detention center in barbed wire in Georgia, heading for Atlanta airport. Unlike standard deportations, prisoners have not been handcuffed, responding to a key request from Seoul, according to Reuters.Last week, around 300 South Koreans were held in a battery plant of $ 4.3 billion under construction by Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution, as well as more than 150 other foreign workers. The operation, which involved armored vehicles and channels, aroused many criticisms in South Korea for its perceived heaviness.President Lee Jae Myung, speaking at a press conference marking his first 100 days in power, warned that the RAID could dissuade the South Korean investment in the United States. “Our companies that have entered the United States is probably in a serious state of confusion,” he said. Lee stressed that improving the American visa system for skilled workers is essential, noting that without information, companies may hesitate to send employees for future projects. Some Seoul legislators have acknowledged that some workers may have exceeded or abused short-term visas, but South Korean companies have long been based on a gray area in visa rules to send specialists to American factories, a practice generally tolerated by previous administrations.In response to the incident, Washington and Seoul have agreed to discuss a new category of visas for Korean workers, said South Korean Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun. The objective is to ensure that detained workers can return to the United States if necessary.The raid also involved a smaller number of Japanese, Chinese and Indonesian nationals. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that its embassy helped its citizens and urged the American authorities to “enforce the laws in an impartial manner and to guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens involved”. Japan has confirmed that three of its nationals have been affected and take action to protect them, according to AP.Some South Korean employees in other LG energy solutions sites in the United States have already left for visa concerns, while the company has asked subcontractors to hire local staff as a contingency. Experts warn that the visa system is approached, the South Korean industrial investment in the United States could slow down, potentially affecting US economic activity.President Lee also noted a cultural difference in the application of immigration. “In South Korea, we see foreigners paying short-term visas to provide technical or educational services-it is accepted,” he said. “But the United States strictly applies working and immigration rules, and our workers have been taken in one of these coercive measures.”After interviews with American Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Cho confirmed that a joint working group will be created to explore a category of visa for Korean workers, aimed at preventing similar disruptions in the future.
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