Public sentiment is overwhelmingly negative towards the recent immigration raids affecting South Korean workers at a Georgia EV battery plant. Many commenters express anger and frustration over the perceived injustice of targeting skilled professionals while downplaying employer accountability. There's a pervasive fear that such actions will deter future investments from South Korea and damage economic opportunities for American workers. The comments reveal a mix of outrage over inhumane treatment of detainees, concerns about long-term economic relationships, and skepticism toward U.S. immigration policies.

U.S. Government

Hyundai

South Korean Workers

Big tech lobby really getting their money paid off.

Yourmotherssonsfatha

IF only google pay coporate tax like every other companies in Korea ...but I doubt it.

Fine-Cucumber8589

I’ve known for years that the map data issue goes way beyond just Google Maps—it affects many other Google services, too. South Korea blocked access to protect its tech industry, which is understandable. It will be interesting to watch how this decision could shape the landscape, especially as global platforms try to operate in closed or restricted ecosystems.

Songtan_Labs

Could the same thing be done with Twitch?

Twitch left South Korea primarily due to Korea's high operating costs and network fees (weren't they 10x significantly higher than in other regions?).

Savings-Strategy-516

[deleted]

It's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Do these people think that maps are hand drawn by monks ? There's openstreetmap and nobody can do anything about it.

darthinvader667

Objective-Program348

While it is true that the suicide rate in South Korea is very high, it is an exaggeration to assume that this is the reason for the rapid decline in the population. The main cause of Korea's population decline is the catastrophic drop in the birth rate.

Nukuram

It feels like the OP is based on a lot of (mis)understanding of Koran society based on exaggerated online sensationalism from YouTube and Reddit. 

* Tech companies aren't as powerful as you appear to think they are.
* Pressures that students experience aren't as starkly one-dimensional as you appear to think they do are. 
* K-pop idols being "slaves" is not actually true in the sense you appear to think they are.

It's kind of difficult to explain when the entire post is based on misunderstanding based mostly on Internet sensationalism.

EDIT: I don't think it's your fault though. I think its because of Koreans ourselves being overly dramatic in complaining about harships in life and not being objective about it, and then lazy journalist, YouTubers and Redditors just rehashing what they think they understand without themselves really understanding beyond the surface level understading of Korean societies.

Queendrakumar

honestly (and I say this as a person living in the US), the US is far down the path toward becoming a capitalist dystopia. The gov't works for the businesses instead of the people, affordable healthcare is nonexistent (well, unless you're a politician or returning back from a senseless foreign conflict as a veteran), there are factions in the gov't that actively support defunding the public education system, our society is experiencing Gilded Era-level inequalities and we are expected to think that "America = #1".


If this doesn't sound dystopic, you might need to talk to more people around you.

found_goose

DerpAnarchist

In my opinion, the Korean Peninsula will be unified in the near future.And I think that the investment that the United States has made in South Korea so far has already been recovered.After that, I think that the political form of the Korean peninsula after unification will become a political form similar to that of Russia.

-Term-111

nah reunification will be possible if ether china or the usa collapses,

this might be controversial to say, but without ether of them, there won't be any incentive to stay disconnected anylonger. 

even if they had economic impact, also despite what south koreans think, lots of north koreans don't hate the south, they hate the americans much more, i think the north as well are fed too much propaganda that the south wants to kill them all, which isn't entirely true.

Yes, I agree, I don't think unification will happen, they are opposite. But I hope North Korea will open their country to tourists and immigrants soon.

Interesting-Net-1621

i cannot see how this doesnt spark further outrage. east asian countries outside of china are some of our closest allies. plenty of people in both east asia and the US think highly of each other. its why so many americans love anime and Kpop. and considering east asians are considered almost a commodity, with so many coming to colleges here and being very hard workers if they have done so, there is no way to spin this angle in a way framing them as dangerous

avatarroku157

This is going to damage our relationship with Korea 😞

ThatNefariousness996

&gt;”In the course of U.S. law enforcement, the economic activities of our investment firms and the rights and interests of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed upon," said Lee Jae-woong, a spokesperson for South Korea's foreign ministry. "We conveyed our concern and regret to the U.S. Embassy today and urged them to take special care to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of our nationals are not violated.”

&gt;Jae-woong added that an on-site task force will be established in Georgia with the help of the South Korean consulate in Atlanta.

They made this an international issue, and Kemp is going to be in the crosshairs for how this impacts GA.  

From my understanding this was supposed to be a search for 4 people, and they turned it into their MAGA tribute. 

Yes, it cannot be understated that this is terrible. My wife and in-laws are Korean and I worry about their safety always, but the most MAGA shakes its fists the more groups unify.   

This is another grasping effort by the dumb fascist  wannabes and I hope this is where the traction really gets going against MAGA in GA.

3_Cat_Day

Also I tried posting a article about this earlier but it got removed by mods because the title of the article changed as I was writing the post.

butter467

 We have automods that are set up to remove posts that are reported twice.  We also manually removed reported posts or those that don't follow post structure. Sorry if the title changed. .

And just a heads up this post was reported. Another mod may remove it.

nygiantsjay

The ICE trials after this is over about to go crazy. And when the stories of those detained come out? Republicans won’t recover, it will be a complete KO.

Ilovemiia1

This post's flair has been updated to "Politics". Please read our [political post and comment guidelines](https://reddit.com/r/Georgia/w/faq/politics_guidelines?utm_medium=android_app&amp;utm_source=share) prior to participating.

Jamikest

TheDarkAbove

If this were actually about enforcing laws, we’d see masked ICE agents hauling away the people who employ undocumented workers. But that never happens…

statsjedi

LOL, Taco man wants foreign companies to invest in US but now he's arresting them.

This is amazing. Remember how Foxxconn was going to build factories and create new jobs in Wisconsin? (from his first term)

FeverTreeCloud

The Department of Homeland Security told the BBC's US partner CBS News that agents executed a search warrant due to allegations of "unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes".

Korean nationals were among those detained, the South Korean foreign ministry said, calling it an "unjust infringement" of their rights.

The search by federal agencies had also shut down construction on an adjacent battery plant, CBS News reports.

It’s a two for one deal we get to alienate one of our few remaining allies in Asia and we get to hurt Georgia’s state economy. Thanks president trump!

IPadAirProMax2

From South Korean news, 

The individuals from Seoul arrived in the United States on a B1 visa, issued for business purposes such as attending meetings or signing contracts, or under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) visa waiver program for short-term stays.
The South Korean consulate in Atlanta is forming a legal team, including Korean American lawyers, and they plan to visit the facility where the workers are being held, a consulate official said.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250905005951315

Hour-Raisin1086

“President Trump campaigned for his second term in office on the back of a pledge to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants although he said the priority would be those who committed crimes.”

The rhetorical trick they played was that they consider all undocumented people to have committed a crime from their mere existence regardless of their productivity or good faith 

I hate liars but I hate liars who use wordplay and technical truths even more

Non-mon-xiety

Time for South Korea to cancel their 100 Boeing Jets order.

nity2023

Companies are going to avoid investing in the US, that is, if they haven't already 

maestroh

I worked at the Mercedes plant in Alabama in the 90's when it was first opening and prior to production.  At least a third of my coworkers were German's there temporarily to train the new staff etc.  Sounds like many who were arrested were the Korean equivalents.  This administration is a joke

ucancallmevicky

It sure is great that they're rounding up and getting rid of all these hard-working taxpayers!  That is almost as good as protecting people who rape children!

Thylacine_Hotness

Oh look, all those jorbs conservatives have been begging for are available now.  Get to work Republicans, go get that factory job and pay those taxes!

-Havery-

All the dumb republican assholes sure have been quiet

AggressiveHeight4638

Buttermilk-Waffles

I work there. I was in the plant and had no warning and 4 masked dudes in helmets and tactical gear rushed up on me with semi autos drawn on me. I thought I was in a mass shooting incident and nearly had a heart attack. They file us all out like criminals. I couldn't leave until the scanned my face, took my ID, and asked me for my SSN. This is not normal. I'm kind of traumatized and eff'd up. Those Koreans all had valid Visa's and are professionals very high up in the company. None of us can get in touch with them to know if they are ok, and they will most likely be detained for weeks or months. Many were my friends. With this much of the workforce gone overnight it's going to be very hard to continue to operate and many of us left are worried about our jobs. These people are here to train the American workforce so we can hire and train more Americans and have some manufacturing back in America. Are we great again?!

hemroidclown6969

It’s past time for us as patriots of America to come to terms with some facts. That fact is the Republican Party has become the domestic enemy the oath talks about. Republicans are a clear and present danger to the national security of this country. The sooner we treat them as such the better off we will be. We cannot make the same mistake progressives made during reconstruction, and allow these enemies of your society to slink back into the shadows. They must be held to account for their crimes.

astarinthenight

Just an honest question but do the ones that are being detained not have proper documentation showing citizenship?  How could they get hired by a company such as Hyundai without it?

Wutchu_fitna_fuc_wit

At least while the country is swirling down the toilet bowl, we will at least be healthier under RFK……./s

drumsandbikes

It’s unclear from this article if the people detained were construction workers or management. It is not uncommon at all to have management level employees of foreign companies come over to the U.S. to oversee plant construction, training and set up for a few years. That is done to ensure conformity with the company’s quality plan, design, IP protection, etc. It is so common in fact, that the U.S. actually has special visas that they issue for just this sort of work.

TaxLawKingGA

See, those South Koreans played a long game: first, they brought jobs here to Georgia; *then* they steal them! (Alas, my headache currently prevents me from performing an appropriate enough eyeroll...)

spahncamper

If they raid Shaw and Mohawk in Whitfield and Gordon counties they would put US flooring out of business

darthkale

NutzBig

Well clearly they were in MS13, thank God we’re getting dangerous criminals off the streets! Epstein would be proud!!

D_Dubb_

Of course our soon to be online paper has nothing on it.

Nightcalm

ICE got to hit their quotas somehow. Could backfire with Hyundai decided to halt the plant but the conservatives working there don’t mind if that happens.

ConkerPrime

Lost_Amoeba_6368

There go those elusive manufacturing jobs!

katatoria

So much for brining manufacturing bank to the US. No way foreign companies will want to build factories here if this shit is a possibility

randomthrowaway9796

Good.

 I saw ALOT of “Asians for Trump” shirts and signs around GA.

Actions have consequences 

JBRifles

The Asian community in Georgia is very strong and wealthy…this is going to be an issue for sure. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hyundai closes this plant in 2-3 years. 

This incident also jeopardizes a lot of Asian companies looking to do business in Georgia.

Hour-Cherry5733

Wasn't there a battery plant in Georgia busted a few years ago for something similar?

Evtona500

Film industry was Georgia's next big promise, now it's gone.

EV was supposed to be the future: Trump is killing it.

Now we are left with massive AI data centers that push up electric bills.

Nice future to behold!

Character-Draft5610

I fucking hate Trump. 

Say goodbye to foreign investment America.

tres_ecstuffuan

Square-Ad-2385

[https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/us/georgia-battery-plant-hyundai-lg-ice-raid.html?unlocked\_article\_code=1.jk8.kySC.5jCcReLX4u80&amp;smid=url-share](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/us/georgia-battery-plant-hyundai-lg-ice-raid.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jk8.kySC.5jCcReLX4u80&amp;smid=url-share)

UselessFactCollector

I am beyond angry. These are my very neighbors here in Gwinnett. All of our immigrants rock, but I love in the heart of Buford, and I am furious. Call your reps, flood the airways, particularly if you are white (they listen more to whites) ! We are all Americans, and not one of any of us deserves this.

To the complacent whites and conservatives: you’re next. They’ve moved on to include Asians now. They always go after black and brown people, the asshats. But Asians were protected. Make note of this. Even the stupid ass calculations of racists are warning you. Join the fight!

UnexpectedWings

So f’ing ridiculous. Something has got to be done with this systematic blatant f’ing racism. They target everyone that isn’t white. There are plenty of illegal Eastern Europeans to go after.

p1ggy_smalls

Georgia spent billions of dollars to attract and retain businesses.   And this authoritarian prik upends it all, despite continuing to claim they are only going after "criminals".    WHAT are the ODDS that ALL 450 of those arrested are "criminals"????   FDJT

Character_Click5531

I saw some footage and they had them in SHACKLES it was so jarring to see

radicalthots

Did our state not gift Hyundai with tax breaks to induce them to open that plant here? Were they not going to create jobs for Georgians? Are they not capable of verifying immigration status of employees? What can possibly be their excuse for this?

TheSanityInspector

I am so sorry for our Korean communities and their families impacted by these disgraceful actions. I stand in solidarity with them.  Y’all are in my heart.

merriweatherfeather

maddiejake

So this fits right in with the MAGA strategy of removing the worst offenders, drug king pins, gang members, and other bad actors. Right? 

Good lord, why would any foreign company either on their own or partnering with a US company make anything in the US right now? What a shit show.

Enjoy, Georgia, you guys voted for this!

Best_Biscuits

Why aren’t the owners or hiring managers being arrested since they knowingly offered jobs to undocumented folks? But its the workers fault for wanting to work and pay taxes? Nah fuck off

threethreethree1203

Picture is misleading. Raid occurred at a battery plant construction site. “EV production was not impacted by the raid, a Hyundai spokesperson confirmed.”

Ok_Sea_1093

Article says the arrests were made as part of a criminal investigation. Why all the complaining?

jwb_007_us

Maybe Hyundai and the South Korean government should just cancel the project as a thumb up Der Fuhrer’s nose.

Atlwood1992

Did they arrest or fine all the upper level managers, human resources workers, or CEO?

ConstructionWest9610

What else do you expect when you vote Republican?

MattWolf96

Did they just round up anyone Asian looking, or were specific people targeted?  I find it hard to believe a major corporation would have 40% of their workforce working illegally.  And if they DID have 40% people working illegally, did they arrest the entire C-suite and HR departments?

Brooklyn3k

JamesIndol

That’s not fair. It’s like if ICE was looking for rednecks and camped out at the motor speedway.

ofRayRay

I guess Elon's still getting what he wanted.

trashcancandelabra

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8S1xqSs/

I'm not sure why she would put out there that she is the one that reported them.

Spaced-out-ET

In 2002, two 15-year-old girls, Misun and Hyo-soon, were tragically killed in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, when they were run over by a U.S. military armored vehicle.

This incident sparked the very first candlelight protests by citizens in Korea. Many people believe that the U.S. soldiers deliberately turned the vehicle toward the girls, crushing them to death. Yet the two soldiers were acquitted and swiftly sent back to the United States, with nothing more than a brief line of apology from the U.S. Forces Korea commander.

We, as Koreans, still remember this.

Now, with the recent mass arrest of Korean workers at the Georgia battery plant, many Koreans believe this too was intentional. We will not forget that they were even taken away in chains.

DinnerAggravating481

[Korean Yonhap News is reporting that the individuals are visa holders or have received the ESTA waiver](https://m-en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250905005951315) (but unclear if it violated those visas in some way)

&gt;The individuals from Seoul arrived in the United States on a B1 visa, issued for business purposes such as attending meetings or signing contracts, or under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) visa waiver program for short-term stays.

[Meanwhile ABC reports that 30 of the 450 were identified as Korean, while there could be more.](https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/south-korea-expresses-concern-us-immigration-raid-hyundais-125283807) While the WSJ is now claiming Korean official claim now that it is 300+.

&gt;South Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lee Jaewoong, read a statement following South Korean media reports that the raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement resulted in the detainment of around 450 people, including 30 South Korean nationals. Lee did not specify exactly how many South Koreans were detained but called the number “large.”

Khyron_2500

This plant employed up to 1200 people and 450 were maybe arrested by ICE? Over a third of the potential workforce, possibly more of the plant wasn't operating at full capacity

McGonaGOALS731

&gt; South Korean companies have promised to invest billions of dollars in key US industries in the coming years, partly as a way to avoid tariffs.


And this is what you get in return. This is the US showing you how how highly they value your contributions and how seriously they regard you as equals. You should heed the warning.

Hay_Fever_at_3_AM

The Hyundai plant that Trump was bragging about FYI.

Morepastor

Imagine they spent that energy and money finding real criminals..

greenee111

Gonna be interesting how this affects the billions Korea's investing here

Excaliblarg

Nothing says, "Hey international companies, bring your manufacturing to the US" like arresting 475 workers at a Hyundai (70% of whom are South Korean).

gvillecrimelaw

And you know the admin targeted them because they're building EVs, which just makes it even more insulting. "Hey, we can kill two birds with one stone: immigration AND EVs!"

Uncle-Cake

ResponsibleEditor986

read elsewhere 300 of the 450 were South Korean corporate employees there overseeing the $7.6 billion expansion

2003tide

This is the sort of thing that causes real waves in international commerce. This is a Trump attack against every foreign carmaker whose plants litter the US South. It's also a direct attack against the morons that voted for him.

RobutNotRobot

They donated 1 million to Trump's inauguration fund. They got what they paid for

Tro1138

Why would there be Koreans in a Hyundai plant?/s

stormhawk427

Going after the worst of the worst, as promised. /s

TheyHungre

Well that's definitely one way to encourage foreign manufacturing investment in the US...🙄

LockNo2943

I used to work in the U.S. automotive industry and here’s something most people don’t realize.

When companies like Hyundai, Toyota, BMW, or Mercedes open plants in the U.S., they bring in specialists from headquarters in Korea, Japan, or Germany.

These specialists are not here to take jobs away. They are here to implement the systems, train the local teams, and once the facility can run on its own, they usually move back home.

And these are not just any employees. These are their best people. The ones with the most expertise in their field.

So when someone here didn’t get hired and went to complain, that is exactly why they were not hired. They just were not ready yet.

Now Hyundai is probably furious. Their launch is delayed, and on top of that, all of their top experts are tied up and detained. In automotive, every single hour counts.

And here’s the bigger issue. Leaders talk about bringing jobs back to America. But when companies actually try, and the U.S. arrests the very people sent to make it possible, it makes executives think twice about investing here.

It’s a stupid move by the government… and it could cost us thousands of jobs.

Informal-Performer19

As if Hyundai would not have their employees ducks in a row. Just desperate peformative nonsense that will bring the ROK government into play, jeopardizing relations unnecessarily

steve_ample

ICE needs to be abolished and all of its members need long prison sentences. We can only hope these people were only detained for a few hours and immediately let go.

The B1 visas they had gave them the ability to oversee the production, it is pretty basic corporate stuff. Well if you mix deep south education with ICE scumbags, you get this.

Edit: I do think it was a mixup, I think the people arrested weren’t handcuffed and were let go quickly. Still incredibly embarrassing for the US.

WalterWoodiaz

MallardRider

South Korea should just shut down the whole plant and take their money to some other country

LukeD1992

A recent immigration raid at a Georgia EV battery plant operated by South Korean firms has raised alarm over future investments amid strict immigration law enforcement.

US Immigration Raid Impacting South Korean Investments

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