Hyundai CEO voices hope for 'mutually beneficial' solution for short-term business travel to US

Jose Munoz, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor, speaks during a media tour and grand opening at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, March 26, in Ellabell, Ga. AP-Yonhap

WASHINGTON — The head of Hyundai Motor expressed hope Thursday for South Korea and the United States to work out a "mutually beneficial" solution for skilled workers' short-term business travel to the U.S., following a U.S. immigration raid at its battery plant construction site in Georgia this month.

Jose Munoz, the company's president and CEO, made the remarks at a public event, noting that many Korean workers, who were arrested in the Sept. 4 raid at the site for a joint Hyundai-LG Energy Solution venture, were involved in the final testing of advanced battery production technology.

U.S. immigration authorities arrested more than 310 South Korean workers in the crackdown, saying that they were found to be working illegally in the U.S., including those on short-term or recreational visas that bar them from working. They were released from detention on Sept. 11.

"We hope that the U.S. and Korea can work on mutually beneficial solutions for short-term business travel, especially for specialized technical expertise," he said during the New York event for global investors and analysts.

Munoz voiced his "sincere empathy" for the workers from Hyundai's partner companies who were detained in the crackdown.

"We understand the stress and hardship this has caused for them and their families, and we are relieved that they returned to Korea safely," he said.

"Many of those colleagues were working on the final calibration and testing of advanced battery production technology at a battery plant supporting our operations in Georgia."

He stressed that Hyundai has been "part of the fabric of the U.S." for nearly 40 years and has operated in Georgia for more than 15 years.

"Our new facility there represents the largest economic development project in Georgia's history, and is helping transform the region with long-term economic benefits for thousands of families," he said.

He pointed out that Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, a large-scale electric vehicle production complex in Georgia, will play an "important" part in the company's future.

The immigration crackdown has raised questions in South Korea over U.S. credibility as a reliable investment destination.

Following the detention saga, South Korea has proposed establishing a working group with the U.S. to discuss a new visa category for skilled Korean workers as part of efforts to address visa-related issues that have hindered Korean tech firms from advancing their investment projects in the U.S.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump said Sunday that he does not want to "frighten off" or "disincentivize" foreign investments, reiterating he wants foreign firms, which are building semiconductors, ships and other "complex" products, to bring their workers into the U.S. to train American workers.