By Hyunjoo Jin
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea said on Saturday that the U.S. release of photos and a video of the arrest of hundreds of Korean workers was regrettable, especially as the incident followed so closely after a summit between the two nations’ leaders.
U.S. immigration officials raided a Hyundai Motor car battery factory on Thursday and later released a video and photos of workers shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles getting on a bus after the raid.
The crackdown could risk damaging ties between Washington and Seoul, a key Asian ally and U.S. investor, when the two are trying to narrow their differences and finalise a trade deal after a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo told U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker in a telephone call that it was regrettable the incident “occurred at a critical time, when the momentum of trust and cooperation between the two leaders, forged through their first summit, must be maintained,” the foreign ministry said in a statement released late on Saturday.
Park also asked Hooker to ensure a fair and swift resolution to the matter.
“The economic activities of our companies that have invested in the U.S. and the rights and interests of our citizens should not be unfairly infringed upon during the course of U.S. law enforcement,” he said.
The arrest of some 475 workers at the plant near Savannah, Georgia, included more than 300 Koreans and was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s history.
The video and photos of the raid, which involved a helicopter and armoured vehicles, showed hundreds of workers standing in front of a building, some wearing yellow vests with the names “Hyundai” or “LG CNS.” Two workers hid in a pond before they were arrested.
President Lee Jae Myung ordered a swift, all-out response to the arrests, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said at an emergency meeting on Saturday. Cho said he may go to Washington to meet with officials if needed.
LG Energy Solution, which is working with Hyundai to build the factory, said it had asked employees to return from U.S. business trips while suspending travel to the United States except for customer meetings.
Hyundai Motor said it would investigate its suppliers and their subcontractors to ensure they meet regulations.
Trump, when asked about the raid, said on Friday: “I would say that they were illegal aliens and ICE was just doing its job.”
(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
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