Korea's Anger: "Chained Arrest" 300 Koreans Deported by the U.S.

¬ Presidential Office: "Release Negotiations Concluded ... Will Take Voluntary Departure Form, Send a Private Jet" ... Invested 50 Billion Dollars, Large Number of People Arrested, Korean Companies Say: "This Makes It Impossible to Enter the U.S."

Regarding the case where 300 South Korean citizens were arrested and detained at the construction site of the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution joint battery factory in Georgia, U.S., on July 7, the Chief of the Presidential Secretariat, Kang Hoon-jeong, said: "The negotiations for releasing the detained personnel have ended," and "after completing the administrative procedures, a private jet will be sent to bring the citizens back home."

On that day, Kang Hoon-jeong also stated: "President Lee Jae-myung emphasized that during the law enforcement process in the U.S., the rights of South Korean nationals and the economic activities of U.S. investment companies should not be improperly infringed upon, and ordered full efforts to respond and quickly resolve the issue," "through the rapid response of government agencies, business groups, and companies, the negotiations for releasing the detained personnel have ended." According to an official from the presidential office: "It is not a forced deportation, but rather a voluntary departure form." On the 8th, Foreign Minister Choe Sung-hun will go to the United States to request cooperation from the U.S. regarding the release.

This incident has exposed the difficulties Korean companies face in the U.S. market. Since the Lee Jae-myung administration took office, the scale of Korean investment in the U.S. has reached 50 billion dollars (about 700 trillion won), including the 3.5 billion dollar investment fund promised as a compromise in the tariff negotiation in mid-July, and a separate 1.5 billion dollar investment plan proposed by Korean companies during the August Korea-U.S. summit.

Despite the significant increase in investments to the U.S., the U.S. has ignored the requests of Korean companies to increase the number of visas issued for dispatched personnel. In response to the logic of Korean companies that "to achieve the virtuous cycle of investment, building factories, and creating local employment, more visas are needed," the U.S. has taken a blanket approach, demanding "prior hiring of Americans." Among countries with a free trade agreement (FTA) with the U.S., South Korea has always been at the bottom in terms of treatment for human resource dispatch. Ultimately, such a humiliating "chained arrest" incident occurred.

In response, there have also been critical voices within the U.S. Twenty Democratic Party members issued a joint statement condemning this law enforcement action as "a blind action to complete a large-scale deportation target, not targeting violent criminals," "separating families, damaging the economy, and weakening the trust of global partners." The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the Washington Post (WP) also stated: "This law enforcement action has raised concerns among Korean companies about the political reality in the U.S.," emphasizing that this incident has gone beyond a simple law enforcement action, implying diplomatic and political significance.

The Korean business community has called for: "The government should sit at the negotiating table with the U.S. formally to secure more visa quotas for Korean professionals, ensuring that South Korea receives treatment commensurate with its investment scale."

Source: Chosun Ilbo

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842667990716419/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author."