US vs Seoul? Hundreds of South Koreans detained after Trump admin crackdown at Hyundai factory; ties with ally strained

Federal immigration agents stormed a Hyundai site in Georgia on Thursday in what officials described as the largest single-site enforcement action in US history. Nearly 500 people were detained, most of them South Korean nationals, triggering a furious response from Seoul and raising questions over Washington’s treatment of its closest Asian ally.

The timing of the raid has added to the shock. It came just 11 days after President Lee met Donald Trump at the White House, pledging an additional $150 billion in investment to the US. That commitment followed a July promise of $350 billion aimed at easing tensions over Trump’s 15% tariffs.


The Hyundai complex in Ellabell, west of Savannah, became the scene of a vast security operation involving Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), state police and multiple federal agencies. CNN reported that armed and masked officers lined up workers against walls, checked identification and detained those deemed to be in breach of immigration law. Some workers fled, with several hiding in air ducts or running into a sewage pond before being pulled out by agents. By nightfall, 475 workers had been transported to the Folkston ICE Processing Centre.

Officials said the raid stemmed from a months-long investigation into alleged unlawful hiring at the site. Hyundai insisted none of the detainees were directly employed by the firm, with many linked to subcontractors. LG Energy Solution confirmed 47 of its staff, nearly all Korean, were among those taken into custody.

South Korea lashes out

The South Korean government reacted with alarm, with President Lee Jae-myung calling for “all-out efforts” to defend the rights of its citizens. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said he was prepared to travel to Washington if necessary, stressing that the “business activities of our investors and the rights of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed.” Diplomats have been dispatched from Seoul’s embassy and consulate to monitor the situation.

South Korean opposition leader Jang Dong-hyuk warned the arrests could spiral into a “national-level risk” for the country’s firms, while the conservative daily Chosun Ilbo ran a front-page headline accusing Washington of betrayal: “After investing in ‘Trump MAGA,’ what came back was the arrest of 300 Koreans.”

Trump defends crackdown as backlash grows

The Trump administration has defended the operation as part of a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration. Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, said the president remained committed “to make the United States the best place in the world to do business, while also enforcing federal immigration laws.”

Steven Schrank, the lead HSI agent in Georgia, told reporters the raid was not a simple round-up but the culmination of evidence gathering and interviews. He said those detained included people who had crossed illegally, overstayed visas, or entered under waivers that prohibited employment. No charges have yet been filed.

Critics, however, see the arrests as politically driven. The Democratic Party of Georgia accused Trump of using “fear tactics designed to terrorise people who work hard for a living.” Local residents expressed mixed views, with some concerned about the impact on Korean businesses in the area, while others questioned whether the promised jobs for Georgians ever materialised.