President Lee tells U.S. lawmakers he hopes to see no repeat of ICE raid that detained Korean workers
Published: 23 Sep. 2025, 16:01
Updated: 23 Sep. 2025, 17:17
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- SARAH KIM
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Korean President Lee Jae Myung, center, speaks with a bipartisan group of four U.S. lawmakers on the recent immigration raid in Georgia, tariff negotiations and alliance matters in New York on Sept. 22. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/23/495fcd84-42f6-434a-a42d-4d4ae174f6a9.jpg)
Korean President Lee Jae Myung, center, speaks with a bipartisan group of four U.S. lawmakers on the recent immigration raid in Georgia, tariff negotiations and alliance matters in New York on Sept. 22. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
NEW YORK — President Lee Jae Myung told U.S. lawmakers in New York on Monday that he hopes to see no recurrence of the immigration raid that resulted in the detention of South Korean workers at a battery plant in Georgia last month.
The bipartisan delegation of four lawmakers who serve on the House and Senate's foreign relations committees, in turn, agreed on the need to improve the visa system and expressed expectations that efforts by both governments to improve this process will help the passage of the "Partner with Korea Act" in the U.S. Congress, the presidential office said.
Lee, who began a five-day trip to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly, met with Rep. Young Kim, a Republican of California who serves as chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Indo-Pacific Subcommittee, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat of New Hampshire and a former governor of the state, Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat of Delaware, and Rep. Gregory Meeks, a Democrat of New York.
Rep. Young Kim introduced the bipartisan Partner with Korea Act in July, seeking to allot 15,000 E-4 highly skilled work visas for Korean nationals with specialized education or expertise, with the caveat that potential employers ensure the visa holders are not hired for positions that U.S. workers could fill.
The discussions follow the shocking detention of some 300 South Korean workers at the construction site of a Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution battery plant in Georgia in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid earlier this month, which prompted calls to revise the visa system.
The congressional courtesy call on the margins of the UN General Assembly session provided an opportunity for Lee and U.S. lawmakers to exchange views on strengthening the bilateral alliance, expanding economic cooperation and addressing issues related to the Korean Peninsula, the presidential office said.
Despite the stalled South Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations, Lee said, "While there are concerns that this could cause instability in the Korean foreign exchange market, I believe both sides will ultimately be able to find a solution that ensures commercial rationality."
In late July, South Korea pledged a $350 billion investment fund to secure reduced U.S. tariffs on Korean goods, but the two sides have been at odds over the details.
Lee noted that ongoing tariff negotiations could create instability in South Korea's foreign exchange market but said he believed the two sides would ultimately find solutions that ensure "commercial viability," according to his office.
In an interview with Reuters on Monday, Lee warned that the $350 billion investment could trigger a financial crisis if proper financial mechanisms are not in place, such as a currency swap arrangement.
Lee recalled his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in late August and stressed that the foundation has been laid for the South Korea-U.S. alliance to evolve into a "future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance" in sectors encompassing security, economy and advanced technologies. He requested that Congress continue to support the alliance, allowing the two countries to further develop future-oriented cooperation.
The U.S. lawmakers said they would provide all the support they could at the congressional level to ensure that industrial and technological cooperation between the two countries can be further strengthened in areas such as shipbuilding, biotechnology and defense.
![President Lee Jae Myung, left, greets people on the streets holding welcome signs before attending a gathering with the Korean community at a hotel in New York on Sept. 22. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/23/03586432-0761-41b0-8349-2625ca0e483b.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, left, greets people on the streets holding welcome signs before attending a gathering with the Korean community at a hotel in New York on Sept. 22. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
"We welcome the United States playing a leading role as a 'peacemaker' if it helps resolve issues on the Korean Peninsula," Lee said. "As a 'pacemaker,' we will actively cooperate with President Trump to resume North Korea-U.S. dialogue and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula."
Lee referred to his proposal to Trump that the U.S. president become a peacemaker during their summit at the White House on Aug. 25, saying he would play a supporting role in resuming dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
In response, the U.S. lawmakers conveyed their support for Lee's efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula and pledged that Congress will also actively cooperate in this vision, Lee's office said.
![President Lee Jae Myung, center left, and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, center right, salute the Korean flag at a dinner event with the Korean community in New York on Sept. 22. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/23/8fa95f94-d7a0-4de1-b96f-5d2c44836f28.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, center left, and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, center right, salute the Korean flag at a dinner event with the Korean community in New York on Sept. 22. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
He said South Korea is "becoming a model for the world" through K-culture, K-pop, K-drama, K-food, K-beauty and K-democracy, remarks which earned applause from the attendees.
"Now is the time for Korea to return to normalcy and leap forward again — economically, culturally, militarily, diplomatically and spiritually," Lee said. "We will create a Republic of Korea where the world can be proud of its citizens, and where our overseas diaspora, not just those living in Korea but across the globe, can proudly and confidently declare their nationality."
Lee Myung-seok, president of the Korean American Association of Greater New York, expressed his gratitude to the president for his prompt action in securing the release of the detained Korean workers in Georgia, and asked that such care and attention be extended to the 7.3 million overseas Koreans worldwide.
Lee, who began a five-day trip to New York earlier Monday, has a busy schedule this week, appearing at the UN General Assembly and Security Council and holding bilateral summits with leaders on the margins of the UN events.
BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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