South Korea says it has launched an investigation into possible human rights violations following a U.S. immigration raid at a Hyundai factory in Georgia earlier this month.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained more than 300 South Korean workers during the raid on the battery plant. The workers returned home on Friday after being held for a week.
“We’ve expressed grave concerns to the U.S. government since this first happened,” a spokesperson for the South Korean presidential office said in a statement, according to The Washington Post. She added, “We plan to examine more closely whether there were issues related to our people’s rights or discomfort.”
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U.S. officials claimed the detained workers had a range of immigration issues. Some were allegedly in the U.S. illegally, while others entered legally but may have overstayed their visas or were on visas that did not permit them to work.
The incident could strain diplomatic ties between South Korea and the United States. South Korean companies had planned to invest billions of dollars in the U.S. under a trade deal designed to avoid high tariffs.
Following the raid, President Donald Trump said he wants international companies to invest in the United States and build manufacturing plants domestically, but added that employees must be in the country legally.
