Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
SK's plan to expand EV battery business in US hits snag
An aerial view shows the construction site of SK Battery America's factory in Georgia. / Courtesy of SK Innovation
By Baek Byung-yeul
US lawmaker calls for probe into SK for hiring undocumented workers
By Baek Byung-yeul
SK Innovation's ambitious plan to expand its electric vehicle (EV) battery business has hit a snag after a U.S. lawmaker called for an investigation into the firm's U.S. affiliate SK Battery America for illegally employing Korean workers at its factory construction site in Georgia.
On Aug. 20, Georgia Congressman Doug Collins said he had sent a letter to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to investigate whether there was an attempt to illegally employee foreign nationals to build the battery factory.
Collins cited information that CBP officers caught 33 Korean nationals at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport attempting to enter the U.S. without proper work authorizations in May and said this was not a one-time incident.
“It is my understanding that the CBP determined that this was not an isolated incident, and that these Korean nationals were part of a larger scheme to illegally bring foreign workers into the United States,” he said.
Collins said he “was contacted by a constituent who has already observed additional Korean nationals illegally working at the facility in Georgia.”
“According to the constituent, who has been to the facility on multiple occasions, the 33 Korean nationals intercepted by CBP in May represent only a small fraction of the workforce on this project that have systemically and illegally been brought to the United States to displace American workers,” Collins said.
"If true, these actions are not only hurting American workers, many of whom are currently eager for work, they are illegal and must be stopped.”
SK Innovation, Korea's third-largest EV battery maker, broke ground for the battery factory in Commerce, Jackson County, Georgia, in March 2019 after securing 1.2 square kilometers of land. The plant is scheduled to begin mass production of EV battery cells in 2022.
SK Battery America also promised that the new factory would create about 2,600 jobs once completed. However, the Georgia Local Union 72, whose members include plumbers, pipefitters and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVACR) technicians, said the company is taking away about 500 jobs from them, by providing these construction job positions to Korean workers.
“Georgians have gotten the shaft over the SKI battery plant,” David Cagle, a member of the union, was quoted by Fox 5 Atlanta's report.
According to the report, Cagle said when his people tried applying for the construction jobs to build the plant, they were told nothing was available.
“We've got about 500 people out of work right now who could come up here and be on this job and making a living,” he said. “Instead, the Koreans are making a living.”
SK Innovation said that it was hiring the Korean workers only to build the factory and reconfirmed that the Georgia plant would be operated by American employees once construction is completed.
“SK Innovation has said the new Georgia factory will provide about 2,600 new jobs in the Jackson Country area. We hired those Korean workers because they are specialized in constructing battery factories,” an SK Innovation official said, Friday.
“Once the factory construction process is completed, the plant will be operated by American employees.”