ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp is heading to South Korea to smooth things out after a federal raid at a Georgia Hyundai plant.
South Korea and Georgia share a long economic relationship.
This trip was planned before that raid, but it’s taken on new significance after ICE took 475 people, mostly South Korean nationals, into custody, sparking a real international incident.
Kemp told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot on Tuesday that he was aware of the raid before it happened, but it did not know the size, scope and extent of it.
The raid happened six weeks ago as federal agents raided the massive Hyundai LG Battery plant in Bryan County.
ICE held the South Korean nationals and others for a week before releasing them. None of the South Koreans were ever charged with any crimes.
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“I mean, this was a federal operation, so we had no knowledge of why they were going, what they were going to do to the extent of that. And really, I would refer you back to them as to why it was originally started in the first place,” Kemp said.
But the raid created a diplomatic crisis between the White House and the South Korean government.
Kemp said he’s been talking to South Korean officials, along with the White House, about their concerns and the concerns of other international companies in Georgia.
He said he spoke personally with President Donald Trump and the White House to express those concerns.
“We also have relayed to the White House, you know, what we’re hearing on the ground, and they’ve been very receptive, you know, as the president. He’s spoken directly about that,” Kemp said.
Now, Kemp is heading back to South Korea for meetings with leaders of corporations with plants located in Georgia to reaffirm the relationship between Georgia and their nation.
“That’s why we’re going. We’re not going to let one incident stop a 40-year relationship,” Kemp said.
This is the 40th anniversary of the Georgia Trade Office in South Korea.
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