South Korea's government has held an emergency meeting and vowed to swiftly respond to the arrests of hundreds of its citizens in a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in the US.
Seoul has dispatched diplomats to the site in Georgia, while LG Energy Solution, which operates the plant with Hyundai, said it was suspending most business trips to the US.
US officials detained 475 people - mostly South Korean nationals - who they said were found to be illegally working at the battery facility, one of the largest foreign investment projects in the state.
The White House defended the operation, dismissing concerns that the raid could deter foreign investment.
They were illegal aliens and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] was just doing its job, President Trump said following the raids on Friday.
Video released by ICE officials showed Asian workers shackled in front of a building, some wearing yellow vests with names such as Hyundai and LG CNS.
South Korea, a close US ally, has pledged tens of billions of dollars in American manufacturing investment, partly to offset tariffs. The timing of the raid, as the two governments engage in sensitive trade talks, has raised concern in Seoul.
On Saturday, LG Energy Solution said it was sending its Chief Human Resources Officer Kim Ki-soo to the Georgia site. We are making all-out efforts to secure the swift release of detained individuals from our company and partner firms, it said in a statement.
The company expressed its intention to provide medical assistance to detainees and announced a suspension of all business trips to the US.
South Korean media have described the raid as a shock, warning it could have a chilling effect on business activities in the United States.
