South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at the Hyundai manufacturing plant in rural Georgia last week an “unjust infringement” and said he is working with the U.S. to ensure it will not happen again, according to multiple reports.
“I hope that there will never again be any unjust infringement on the activities of our citizens and businesses, which are essential for the mutual development of both South Korea and the United States,” Lee said at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the Asia Business Daily reported.
The ICE raid last week was touted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the “largest single site enforcement operation” in the agency’s two-decade history.
Nearly 500 people were detained at the site, including more than 300 South Korean citizens, according to South Korea’s foreign minister, Cho Hyun, who departed for Washington on Monday evening to work out the final details of a deal to bring the detained citizens home.
Lee’s office announced Sunday that a deal had been finalized for the South Korean government to charter a plane to bring home the detained Koreans who choose to depart on a “voluntary” basis.
Lee on Tuesday asked his Cabinet ministers to “continue to manage the situation with utmost care until everyone returns safely,” adding that those citizens “are expected to return to Korea soon.”
Lee said the government would work with the U.S. to prevent a repeat of the situation.
“Our government will work swiftly to implement reasonable institutional improvements through close consultations with the United States to prevent similar incidents from recurring,” Lee said at the Cabinet meeting, according to reports.
“I ask that you make every effort in negotiations, based on mutual trust and the spirit of alliance, so that tangible results can be achieved.”
