SEOUL – Six in 10 South Koreans say the detention of Korean workers at the Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia was excessive and expressed disappointment with the US government, a survey showed on Sept 9.
A Realmeter poll of 508 adults conducted on Sept 8 showed that 59.2 per cent of respondents said they were disappointed in the massive immigration raid by the US government that led to the detention of hundreds of Korean workers, while 30.7 per cent understood the American government’s action.
Some 10 per cent answered they were unsure about the recent immigration raid.
The pollster said 73.7 per cent of respondents who identified as progressive and 65.4 per cent of centrists expressed frustration, while 53.9 per cent of conservatives said the US government’s decision was justified.
By age group, a majority of those in their 40s and older said they were disappointed, and 45 percent of respondents in their 20s and 30s shared a similar view.
A team of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, FBI officers and other authorities raided an electric vehicle battery plant in Georgia run by HL-GA Battery Co, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Co and LG Energy Solution.
More than 300 Korean nationals were arrested by the US authorities to review whether their activities at the plant were consistent with the purpose of stay permitted under their visas.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points, with a confidence rate of 95 per cent. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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