Industry minister delivers 'strong' regret over immigration crackdown

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan, right, speaks during a questioning at the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Korea's industry minister said Monday that he had expressed "strong" regret to his U.S. counterpart over the detention of South Korean workers.

More than 300 Korean nationals are being held at a detention center in Folkston, Georgia, following a raid last Thursday (local time) at an electric vehicle battery plant construction site operated by a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution near Savannah.

During a meeting with lawmakers, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said he had expressed "deep" regret over the detention of the Korean workers to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

"I clearly said to Commerce Secretary Lutnick, how could the visa issue be dealt with like this in return for massive investment (by Korea)?" Kim said.

Kim said it is true that the Seoul government has been working for years to resolve visa-related issues with the United States.