President Lee Jae-myung said that the Korean workers at the Hyundai Motor–LG Energy Solution joint plant in Georgia, who were detained by U.S. immigration authorities, will arrive in Seoul on the afternoon of the 12th. He also said the detention of Korean nationals is expected to have a significant impact on future direct investment in the United States.
At a news conference marking his 100th day in office held at the state guesthouse at Cheong Wa Dae on the morning of the 11th, Lee said, "According to the latest information, in our time the plane will take off from the United States around 1 a.m. tomorrow (the 12th) and arrive in Seoul in the afternoon tomorrow."
Regarding the halt to the repatriation process for the Korean workers due to U.S. circumstances, he explained, "While there was a dispute over whether it was voluntary departure or deportation, the process of returning belongings was underway when it was stopped," adding, "Under White House orders, there was President Trump's instruction to 'let them return freely. Those who do not want to go do not have to,' so they say they have halted it for now and will change the administrative procedure."
Lee said the detentions are likely to affect investment in the United States. As an unprecedented situation has unfolded in which Korean businesspeople were arrested en masse in the United States, he also noted that solutions are needed for factory construction and local residency for workers.
Lee said, "In Korea, aren't Americans teaching English at academies on tourist visas? Moreover, U.S. immigration is deporting people in an aggressive manner," adding, "From the standpoint of domestic corporations, establishing local plants in the United States will bring all sorts of disadvantages or become more difficult, so they will be wondering, 'Do we have to do this?'"
He continued, "This will probably have a significant impact on direct investment in the United States going forward, and we are negotiating to ensure normal operations in visa issuance related to the United States and U.S.-bound investment," adding, "In the current situation, direct investment on the ground in the United States is something our corporations can hardly help but hesitate over."