ATLANTA — The South Korean Ambassador to the United States described the ICE raid at a Hyundai electric vehicle plant in Georgia as a “shock” to her nation, but emphasized that it has not damaged relations between South Korea, the U.S., and the state of Georgia.
The raid, which occurred more than three months ago, resulted in the arrest of 475 individuals, including 300 South Korean citizens. These individuals were later released without charges, highlighting issues with visa regulations that are currently under negotiation between the U.S. and South Korean governments.
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“That was quite a shock, I think. I don’t think anybody expected that happened,” said Kang Kyung-wha, the South Korean Ambassador, in an exclusive interview with Channel 2’s Richard Elliot.
Ambassador Kang explained that the South Korean workers were not in the U.S. illegally but were caught up in visa ambiguities. She noted that the workers had the wrong type of visa due to unclear American visa regulations.
The ambassador also mentioned that the visit of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to South Korea in October helped to smooth over relations.
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“The governor has done as much as he can, and he is a strong advocate not just on this visa issue, but on, you know, economic and overall ties between Korea and Georgia,” she stated.
Kang expressed confidence that there would be no lasting damage to the economic relationship between South Korea and the state of Georgia.
The ambassador highlighted the significant investment South Korea has in Georgia, amounting to $18 billion last year, and expressed hope that Congress would expedite the creation of a new visa category for technical workers.
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