Hyundai's CEO Reveals White House Apology: The Controversial Georgia Raid Explained

Hyundai’s CEO José Muñoz revealed that the White House personally reached out to him, apologizing for a controversial immigration raid at the Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia. During a conference in Singapore, Muñoz recounted the details, stating that Georgia’s governor also expressed confusion over the event, emphasizing that it was beyond state jurisdiction.

In September, over 300 South Korean workers were detained during the raid, which has sparked significant tensions between Washington and Seoul. The workers faced harsh conditions, being forced to sit on the factory floor while their legs were shackled, leading to public outrage in South Korea. Following urgent talks between the South Korean government and the US, the detained workers were eventually sent back home after more than a week in detention.

Muñoz voiced his belief that someone had fabricated evidence suggesting the presence of illegal immigrants at the plant, which he firmly denied. He termed the raid a “bad surprise” but expressed Hyundai’s ongoing commitment to manufacturing in the United States.

Former President Donald Trump had previously stated opposition to the raid, stressing the importance of having experts to facilitate specialized training and operations at such plants. Despite the tensions caused by this incident, in October, the US and South Korea managed to establish a far-reaching trade deal, which included lowering reciprocal tariffs and planning substantial investments in the US from South Korea amounting to $350 billion.