Sawt Falasteen - S. Korea says 'bewildering' immigration raid could chill investment

Seoul is expecting hundreds of workers detained during last week's raid in the US state of Georgia to be released from detention on Thursday and flown back to Seoul.

President Lee blamed the raid on "cultural differences", saying that in South Korea, minor visa infractions by American nationals were not seen as "a serious issue".

After the US detained hundreds of workers, South Korean companies "can't help but question whether setting up a plant in the US is worth the potential risks," he said.

"This could have a significant impact on future investment decisions, particularly when evaluating the feasibility of direct operations in the US," he said.

South Korea is a staunch US security ally and major investor in America, with its top companies pouring billions into developing factories and plants in the United States.

During the initial project development period, many South Korean companies have relied on bringing in their own workforce, with industry sources telling AFP it was common practice to use visa workarounds to bring in skilled labour, to avoid project delays.

President Lee said that for South Korean companies "when setting up facilities, equipment and factories, skilled technicians are essential".

"Someone has to install the machinery, and the necessary workforce simply doesn't exist locally in the US," he said, adding that the companies had long relied on bringing in their engineers for short-term periods to train local workers.

"But now, even that basic request is being rejected," he said.

- Handcuff shock -

South Koreans made up the majority of the 475 people arrested at the Hyundai-LG battery plant under construction in Georgia last week, according to immigration agents.

The operation was the largest single-site raid conducted since US President Donald Trump launched a sweeping immigration crackdown, a top political priority since he returned to office in January.

The raid came less than a month after Trump welcomed President Lee to the White House.

Images of the workers being chained and handcuffed have caused widespread alarm in South Korea, and Seoul had negotiated to make sure the workers were not handcuffed again as they were repatriated, Lee said.

"President Trump reportedly ordered: 'Let them return freely. If someone doesn't want to go, they don't have to," President Lee said.

The repatriation was briefly delayed by Trump asking whether the workers should remain stateside, a Seoul foreign ministry official in Washington said.

However, South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said that "given the workers' shock and exhaustion, it would be best for them to return home first and then re-enter the US for work later".

A Korean Air Boeing 747-8I left Seoul Wednesday, a company representative told AFP.

President Lee said the workers were "scheduled to depart the detention facility at 3 pm Seoul time (0600 GMT) today".

A.AlHaj--SF-PST