SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that South Korean workers detained by US immigration authorities in Georgia will be released at 3 pm (Seoul time), voicing concerns that Korean firms would be hesitant about US investment due to the immigration raid, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The US immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery plant would prompt Korean companies to be “very hesitant” about their potential decision to make direct investments in the US, Lee told a press conference marking his 100 days in office.
Lee said the raid would have an impact on companies that plan to set up factories in the US because they will be concerned about “disadvantageous” treatment by the US authorities.
“According to the latest information, they will leave the detention facility at 3 pm,“ Lee said.
A chartered plane carrying 306 Koreans, including 10 females, and 14 foreign nationals will depart around 1 am Friday and arrive in Seoul in the afternoon, Lee said, noting that one worker opted to remain in the US due to a family member who is a permanent resident.
Lee explained that the departure, initially planned for Wednesday, was delayed after US officials insisted on transporting the workers in handcuffs. Seoul strongly protested, he said, and Washington reversed its stance, citing “a directive from the White House”.
“President Donald Trump ordered, ‘Let them return freely, but those who don’t want to go don’t have to.’ So the process was temporarily halted to change the administrative procedures,“ he said- BERNAMA-YONHAP
