South Korea’s biggest US industrial push hit an abrupt wall after federal agents detained 475 workers—including nearly 300 South Koreans—in a recent immigration raid at Hyundai-LG’s Georgia battery megasite, halting construction and prompting companies to curtail US travel and reassess timelines.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is in Washington to press for fast processing and future re-entry allowances, even as the Trump administration signals more raids are coming.
Seoul says it secured a deal with Washington to release the Korean nationals and is organizing a chartered flight to bring them home under “voluntary departure,” with discussions underway to avoid re-entry bans so specialists can return when legal processes allow.  
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The raid—described by US officials as the largest single-site enforcement operation in DHS history—stopped work at the Ellabell, Georgia EV battery site that feeds Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution. The action also injects risk into US programs tied to Korean partners for American manufacturers General Motors and Ford, and to Samsung Electronics build-outs.
Korea Economic Daily reported that major US investment projects have been halted, citing industry sources. Social posts summarizing that report specify “at least 22” affected sites across autos, shipbuilding, steel and electrical equipment.
Reuters also reports Hyundai and LG curtailed US business travel and recalled staff, while other firms are reviewing visa compliance and onsite commissioning plans amid uncertainty over short-term work authorizations for highly specialized installers.
The episode has set off an unusual, cross-spectrum media backlash in Seoul, with prominent outlets—conservative to progressive—calling the mass shackling of Korean workers a breach of alliance trust and asking whether Korean investment pledges are safe.
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