A US immigration raid has created tensions between the United States and South Korea. The operation at a Hyundai–LG battery plant in Georgia detained 475 workers, including 316 South Koreans, along with reportedly Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian nationals. Images of handcuffed engineers shocked Seoul, and President Lee Jae Myung warned the raid could affect future investment. South Korea has exported $35 billion in vehicles and $8 billion in chips to the US in 2024, and has pledged $350 billion in new projects. Workers are now being repatriated, though one remained after Donald Trump offered the detained workers the option to stay and train Americans. Will immigration politics cost America the investments it needs?
