SEOUL (Reuters) -Brian Kemp, the governor of the U.S. state of Georgia, plans to meet with South Korean business leaders this week, including executives from Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution, months after an immigration raid in the state detained hundreds of Korean workers, the Maeil Business Newspaper said on Thursday.
Kemp's visit comes after U.S. immigration authorities in September raided the construction site of a battery plant under construction in Georgia jointly owned by Hyundai Motor
and LGES. Hundreds of hundreds of South Korean workers were arrested for allegedly working without the necessary visas though they were released after a week of negotiations between South Korea and the United States.
A local public relations agency handling Kemp's visit declined to comment on the meeting.
Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution also declined to comment.
The raid stunned the South Korean government and public and highlighted the lack of access to the right class of U.S. visas for specialised South Korean workers needed at investment sites.
Earlier this month, the United States agreed to allow South Koreans to work on equipment at U.S. sites under existing temporary visas and open new channels to help South Korea send workers to do business in the country.
In 2023, Hyundai Motor and LG Energy announced the $4.3 billion venture near Savannah, Georgia, to produce EV battery cells, with each company holding a 50% stake. The plant will supply batteries for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis EV models.
Hyundai's CEO said the raid is expected to delay the battery plant startup by at least two to three months.
The battery factory is part of Hyundai's $12.6 billion investment in the state, including the automaker's just-opened car factory, in what would be "the largest economic development project in the state’s history."
South Korea was Georgia’s third-largest trading partner last year, with total trade exceeding $17.5 billion, according to the governor’s office.
(Reporting by Heekyong Yang; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
