LG Energy Solution said on Tuesday it remains hopeful about progress in U.S.–South Korea talks over visa approvals for its workers, after a raid by U.S. authorities at its joint-venture battery plant with Hyundai in Georgia led to hundreds of arrests.
“We’re cautiously optimistic that this type of thing will not happen again,” Robert Lee, president of LG Energy Solution’s North American business, told reporters at an automotive conference in Detroit.
Earlier this month, U.S. authorities detained about 475 workers, disrupting operations at the plant and delaying its timeline by at least two to three months, Hyundai’s CEO said last week. Many of the detained employees have since returned to South Korea.
“We feel really bad for all of our workers as well as our subcontractors who came here on business to install equipment and they were detained,” Lee added. He said similar concerns had prompted some workers at other LGES facilities to return home after the raid.
Despite the setback, Lee reiterated that production across LG Energy Solution’s facilities would not be significantly affected. “We have to try to find a plan that works, regardless of various different scenarios. That’s what we’re doing,” he said.
Seoul and Washington have since agreed to explore a new visa category for Korean workers, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said. Industry officials note it is common for large-scale automotive projects to bring in specialist workers for equipment installation, particularly at battery plants where suppliers hold key expertise. Lee said he was encouraged by the bilateral discussions to streamline the approval process.
Credit: Reuters