October 01, 2025
Back to all stories

U.S. Agrees to Allow South Korean Workers on B‑1/ESTA to Support U.S. Industrial Sites After Georgia Raid

A Sept. 4, 2025 U.S. immigration enforcement raid at a Hyundai/LG battery factory in Ellabell, Georgia — part of a $4.3 billion project — led to roughly 475 arrests, about 300 of them South Korean workers. The Christian Science Monitor reports that the enforcement action has provoked strong public and political anger in South Korea, complicating trade negotiations and large Korean investment pledges (cited at $350 billion) and raising doubts about Hyundai’s ability to staff planned U.S. facilities such as an upcoming Louisiana steel plant.

International Immigration Economy

🔍 Key Facts

  • South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said U.S. counterparts reaffirmed that companies may use B‑1 short-term business visas or the ESTA program to send South Korean workers to install, service and repair equipment at U.S. industrial projects.
  • The announcement followed bilateral talks in Washington and comes after more than 300 South Korean nationals were detained in a large immigration raid at a battery factory near Savannah, Georgia.
  • U.S. officials indicated that creating a new visa category for skilled Korean workers would be difficult due to legislative constraints, per Seoul’s statement.

📰 Sources (2)

U.S. will allow South Koreans with short-term visas and waivers to work at industrial sites, Seoul says
PBS News by Kim Tong-Hyung, Associated Press October 01, 2025
New information:
  • South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said U.S. counterparts reaffirmed that companies may use B‑1 short-term business visas or the ESTA program to send South Korean workers to install, service and repair equipment at U.S. industrial projects.
  • The announcement followed bilateral talks in Washington and comes after more than 300 South Korean nationals were detained in a large immigration raid at a battery factory near Savannah, Georgia.
  • U.S. officials indicated that creating a new visa category for skilled Korean workers would be difficult due to legislative constraints, per Seoul’s statement.
Hyundai raid in Georgia tests respect at the heart of US-Korea relations
The Christian Science Monitor by Lindsey McGinnis September 29, 2025