South Korean EV battery maker won’t pull back in U.S. after ICE raid
The largest single-site immigration raid in United States history undercut South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution’s efforts to open a factory to supply Hyundai’s electric vehicle manufacturing facility near Savannah.
But Operation Low Voltage and its sweep of more than 300 Korean workers accused of being in the U.S. illegally won’t deter LG from doing business in the country in the future.
An LG official said Thursday the company still plans to locate half its total global battery cell-making capacity in the U.S.
“The U.S. is an extremely important market for us,” LG’s Philip Lienert said in an email.
The announcement came the same day South Korea’s president warned that the current U.S. visa system posed a threat to future investments.
LG affirmed its commitment to U.S. manufacturing shortly after an airliner carrying Koreans detained in the Sept. 4 construction site raid left American airspace. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation took place at the HL-GA Battery factory, a joint venture between LG and Hyundai located next to Hyundai’s EV assembly facility known as the Metaplant.
The arrested Koreans, said to be technicians and specialists brought to Georgia to set up machinery used to produce the EV batteries, were accused of violating visa terms. They were held for a week at an immigration detention center in Folkston, in southeast Georgia near the Florida border.
Hyundai’s chairman, Euisun Chung, was in Detroit on Thursday for an Automotive News Congress event. He addressed the visa challenges in a question-and-answer session and noted that South Korean and American government officials are “working closely” on the issue.
“Visa regulations are very complicated,” Chung said. “I hope we can make it together a better system.”
The detention and now departure of the Korean technicians and specialists accused of violating their visa terms has halted construction at the HL-GA Battery plant, although the LG spokesman said Thursday “we are preparing to resume operation.” Hyundai CEO José Muñoz said the shortage of workers with the expertise to perform specialized tasks would delay the battery factory’s opening by two to three months.
LG now projects battery production will begin on the site during the first half of 2026.
Muñoz late Thursday also released a statement reinforcing Hyundai’s commitment to the U.S. and the Metaplant project, Georgia’s largest ever jobs recruitment.
“Georgia has been our home in America for more than 15 years, and our $12.6 billion investment in the Metaplant represents our unwavering confidence in this state’s future,” Muñoz said in the statement. “We’re not just building vehicles here — we’re building careers, strengthening communities, and helping lead the future of mobility in America."
He said more than 40,000 direct and indirect jobs will be spurred by the Metaplant.
“Georgia’s partnership has been exceptional, and Hyundai’s commitment to this state and its people is stronger than ever,” he said.
About the Author
Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
