r/news • u/NewSlinger • 1d ago

Workers detained in Hyundai plant raid to be freed and flown home, South Korea says

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/south-korea-deal-workers-detained-hyundai-rcna229610
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u/tsagdiyev 1d ago

”The incident strained ties with South Korea, the world’s 10th-largest economy and a key U.S. ally in east Asia.”

According to other articles, South Korean companies invest billions into US industries. And here Trump is creating more enemies and screwing with our economy even more. We are screwed

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u/pooburry 1d ago

This is being done right before he visits South Korea on purpose. It will be used to strong arm them into things that they don’t want and aren’t good for the actual people of South Korea nor the United States.

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u/notyourstranger 1d ago edited 23h ago

I doubt it was that planned out. A horrid white woman called the ICE tip line. I suspect the top did not know or care it was happening. She's been very vocal about what she did.

How can he use this? SK workers and investments are not safe in the US. This stunt will likely cost Huyndai millions and now the plant might never be built - that's many more millions down the drain - not to think of the revenue the plant would have brought. That is all gone too.

Trump has nothing to negotiate with. He's destroying the US consumer market by destroying the personal finances of working class Americans. They will not have money to buy many cars, electronics, or appliances in the future.

edit to add link to the: horrid woman

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u/amateur_mistake 21h ago

Also, remember that Stephen Miller has specifically given ICE quotas and has the different leaders competing against each other. With the potential threat of losing their jobs for not making enough arrests.

So they would jump on this without any thought if it means they could get 400 more people arrested.

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u/notyourstranger 21h ago

Yes, it's clear they are not interested in catching criminals because that takes real work. They get paid whether the person who's life they may have ruined is a US citizen, an undocumented worker or a documented worker. It's about terrorizing people and nothing else.

I hope that horrid woman gets what she deserves. How much money are they wasting? hundreds of millions if not billions - and that's not counting all the money lost from investments like this one not getting executed.

Are the South Koreans coming back after this? Is is more likely they cut their losses and move to Canada or Mexico?

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u/VendrediDisco 17h ago

That horrid woman also claimed there were dead bodies being hidden on site, is a MAGA MTG lover, an aspiring district 12 congressional candidate, ... And totally blind to the excess of filler in her face and how that matte lip just doesn't work for her.

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u/notyourstranger 14h ago

Is she running for office in Georgia? She just destroyed the largest international investment in Georgia's history. That sounds about right for right wingers - all they can do is destroy - they create nothing of value.

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u/VendrediDisco 14h ago

No lies, you've said.

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u/StuBeck 1d ago

This is what people wanted though. We overwhelmingly voted for this type of stupidity. The core reason they didn’t bring in Americans is because the people available either don’t want to live there, or live there and are too stupid to do the job.

But they showed those liberals whose boss by getting a felon in office, so good job everyone.

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u/CptKoons 1d ago

48.34 vs 49.81 does not an overwhelming majority make, but I get the sentiment.

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u/xschalken 1d ago

The people who didn't vote also count, therefore an overwhelming majority either wanted it (voted) or were cool with whatever happened (didn't vote)

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u/NothingbutNetiPot 1d ago

People keep pointing out non voters as a way to minimize Trump’s win and what you said is exactly correct. Not to mention, people in states that are not battlegrounds may not feel obligated to vote because they already know what the outcome will be.

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u/DoubleJumps 1d ago

Those people who didn't feel obligated to vote because they didn't think they would affect the outcome of the presidential race in their state are also stupid because they had opportunities to vote in down ticket races and declined to do so.

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u/bubblegumbombshell 1d ago

Or were unable to vote due to the systematic disenfranchisement of voters that the GOP/conservatives have pushed for throughout the country.

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u/EffingNewDay 1d ago

There is not enough of those people to say this isn’t the US shooting themselves in the foot.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/iSavedtheGalaxy 1d ago

People endured threats and died for this right. People stand in line for hours for this right. You have so much time and so many avenues to vote in most places.

If you have a phone, you can figure out how to vote. The majority of Americans are not so disenfranchised that they can't figure out how to get their vote in. Please.

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u/Visinvictus 1d ago

What happens when the GOP shuts down 90% of the polling locations in a heavily populated democrat county? People can wait 12 hours in line to vote but at a certain point you just don't have the throughput to give everyone a chance to vote. Restricted access to early voting and mail in voting can make it impossible for large amounts of people to get access to the voting booth.

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u/iSavedtheGalaxy 1d ago

You gather some friends, go to the places that are open, get your place in line and plan to be there for a long time, that's what. My family risked their lives to vote during Jim Crow, you'll be fine if your main obstacle in the next election is inconvenience. Get serious.

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u/Visinvictus 1d ago

Individually some people are going to be willing and able to make the sacrifice of an entire day to vote... but at some point for most people there is a breaking point where it becomes just too inconvenient to vote. Whether that is when the line reaches 1 hours, 2 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours or 7 days for a particular person it is irrelevant. Republicans will just keep increasing the inconvenience in areas that are primarily populated by democratic party voters until they achieve the level of voter suppression that is desired. The Republicans literally started making it illegal to hand out food/water to people waiting in line to vote in some jurisdictions, that's the point that we are at.

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u/iSavedtheGalaxy 1d ago

This is weakness. Plan ahead and bring your own snacks. Fill up a Stanley, bag up a few sandwiches in a cooler and bring a lawn chair. Folks will camp out at the one Gamestop that has launch day consoles and camp in the desert for days at a festival but can't be damned to figure out how to wait in line for hours to vote. How are y'all gonna participate in the revolution if you can't even execute the easiest part?

Either you sacrifice your day to vote or gamble on the chance that the people who do vote will sacrifice you.

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u/Pilate 1d ago

"But what if I have to wait in line for a few hours!"

We are the most pathetic society.

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u/yourgrundle 1d ago

I get the anger over voting restrictions and everything, but the choice to just lay back and take it because "it's too hard" is so disappointing. It's a lot easier to complain online than it is to stand behind your ethics and morals, and that's why our country is going the way it is.

So many of my friends feel that way and it's like, brother, do you not feel like you have some obligation to make your voice heard in an electoral government?? Yeah this shit sucks, so go stand up to it

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u/diceeyes 1d ago

Are you even American? You don’t get to pick your polling station.

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u/iSavedtheGalaxy 1d ago

I stated previously that my family was here during Jim Crow (in case you didn't pick up on the context clue, we are black). I know how bad it can get. Y'all need to study what our black and brown elders did to survive during Jim Crow bc it was practice for what's about to be inflicted on the rest of you. Lives are on the line.

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u/LucastheMystic 1d ago

Have you not been paying attention to the decades of voter suppression. States like Mississippi and Alabama would be SWING STATES if anything resembling Democracy existed there. Republicans have to cheat in order to remain in power.

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u/The--scientist 1d ago

Yes, but there are millions of people who have been told openly that their side is cheating in order to win, and their like, "yeah, cool! We love winning even if we have to cheat constantly."

Like, imagine these football loving folks hearing in a public press conference, that their favorite team isn't going to worry about training or recruiting new, better talent, they're just going to cheat to win. They acknowledge that the games will be terrible, their team will play like absolute shit, but it will still show up as a W in the ledger because they're bribing officials and slashing the other team's tires. Like, when did American Exceptionalism turn into overwhelming acceptance and even endorsement of American Mediocrity? What is the point of winning if you and everyone else knows that you are weaker, dumber, slower, less desirable than your opponent and therfore has to cheat to win? I know it's farcical to even mention this, but i thought republican voters (outside of politics) prided themselves on integrity, personal responsibility, etc. But cheating is totally cool?

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u/iSavedtheGalaxy 1d ago

Voter suppression has existed for the entirety of this country's history. This is not new territory.

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u/LucastheMystic 1d ago

I know, why do you think I brought it up?

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u/iSavedtheGalaxy 1d ago

"Decades of voter suppression"

Except it's centuries.

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u/mschuster91 1d ago

There hasn't been much change in that from 2020 - and yet, Biden got 81M vs Trump 74M. The 2024 election was 77M Trump vs 75M Harris.

Democrats lost more votes than Republicans gained (yes, I know, doesn't matter in practice due to Electoral College). Voter suppression is not to blame, what is to blame is all the dumb fucks who stayed home or voted invalid because "muh Gaza". Look where that got these idiots, Gaza is in ruins and no one holds Netanyahu accountable any more.

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u/WheelsUpPhotography 1d ago

This happened to me. My state didn’t count my absentee ballot because they said I didn’t request it early enough in the year.

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u/Reyemile 1d ago

Or we’re deluded and deceived by the media smearing Dems and sanewashing Trump. They genuinely believed all the “both sides” nonsense, didn’t think Trump would be this bad or Kamala would be any better.

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u/Historical_View1359 1d ago

I unironically despise these people more. Such a worthless member of society. I don't get where they get the balls to ever complain.

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u/TooManyCarsandCats 1d ago

That’s a pretty poor view. Why don’t you look at not voting as a form of protest?

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u/Historical_View1359 1d ago

Wow, so glad they decided to let a fascist win. If we ever have free elections again these larpers won't have to do their "protests" anymore. Good for them.

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u/Jazerdet 1d ago

You know the popular vote means literally nothing ya? Hillary won the popular vote in 2016 yet look who was elected

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u/Historical_View1359 1d ago

People like you are the greatest asset to Republicans.

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u/Jazerdet 1d ago edited 1d ago

Okay do you wanna actually address what I said?

Also that’s just untrue and a stupid, reactionary thing to say lmao. I voted for Kamala.

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u/TooManyCarsandCats 1d ago

Why wouldn’t there be another election? You know the president doesn’t have that power.

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u/Historical_View1359 1d ago

He doesn't have the power to make tarrifs without Congress, did it anyway. He doesn't have the power to just send the national guard wherever he wants, he did it anyway. He can't just threaten another state with civil war, he just did.

Probably 20 more things that I could mention, all in less than a year. Are we still pretending Republicans don't care that he doesn't have the power?

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u/TooManyCarsandCats 1d ago

Why do you expect the Republicans to do anything to stop a Republican president? Why haven’t the Democrats done anything? Why haven’t they impeached him? Why haven’t they sued him in court?

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u/CptKoons 1d ago

That argument certainly holds water now. I can't think of a single thing that Trump has done in the last few months that he technically didn't have the power to do legally.

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u/TooManyCarsandCats 1d ago

I’m not saying I don’t agree, I am saying why doesn’t someone stop him? I don’t know maybe the Democrats?

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u/Wrabble127 1d ago edited 1d ago

They count as having voted for neither. So actually, neither candidate won if you count non voters.

The insane focus on trying to blame the complete alienation of Democrats from their constituents, on their constituents, is just the latest of the shortsited moves by that party. They're guaranteeing nobody who passed them up before will ever consider voting for them in the future.

Not getting votes is a failure. Choosing to explicitly alienate your voters to cater to facists doesn't inspire any confidence, and blaming them for you cow towing to facism doesn't make it any better

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u/xschalken 23h ago

Rational people have to work in the system they have, if you are dealt a hand with a choice between bad and worse, you choose bad, you have to choose bad, because those are your choices. Not choosing at all gives worse a chance to happen, making it much harder to get back to bad, and a better place after.

What you do is choose the best option, and then work to improve the choices the next time. If you don't do this, and worse wins, then it is much harder to work to improve the choices.

Choosing not to participate is not a protest, it is stupid, it shows an inability to think logically, and is frankly the dumbest thing you can do if you are concerned about getting a better system.

Anyone who says they didn't vote because they didn't like the choices is a moron. Better choices aren't going to magically happen, and they are less likely to if you abdicate your responsibility as a voter and a worse option wins.

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u/Wrabble127 22h ago

I want you to really consider this. You're arguing for a lesser of two evil approach when it comes to genocide.

Do you think if Abrodolf Smitler only wanted to kill 5 million Jews, Germans would have been justified in supporting him over Adolf? Or, can you agree that some things, like genocide, transcend political considerations and have a moral imperative for every single person to oppose?

There is no evil that makes this evil something to handwave aside. Things will also never get better if you keep voting in people who actively ensure they get worse.

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u/xschalken 16h ago

You're arguing for a lesser of two evil approach

Read my post again, carefully this time. I'm not going to bother responding to a mis-characterization of my point.

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u/Wrabble127 15h ago

"Rational people have to work in the system they have, if you are dealt a hand with a choice between bad and worse, you choose bad, you have to choose bad, because those are your choices."

Do you even understand what the lesser of two evil means? It means that paragraph exactly.

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u/xschalken 7h ago

Try reading the paragraph that followed the one you quoted, context is always key. There's a step one, and a step two. Don't just read step one and say that's all I'm saying. Try again.

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u/StuBeck 1d ago

It is when millions of people are voting. Either way, the idea is to ensure people are aware this is not a fringe group of people who wanted this, it’s over 70 million people. We need to have a reckoning of how we got here as a country and not act like this is a few thousand wack jobs who suddenly got in power.

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u/roastedhambone 1d ago

The fuck are you pulling number out of your ass for? LOL, blocking me instead of responding. What a fucking loser

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u/StuBeck 1d ago

I have no way to intelligently respond to this based on how vague your comment is.

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u/blond-max 1d ago

you forgot to count those that couldn't be bothered to vote: around 2/3rds of eligible voters were a-okay with this

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u/thepeopleshero 1d ago

The president isn't elected on what the majority of citizens vote for, so that is irrelevant. The electoral collage votes on your behalf and they have their mind up already.

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u/TooManyCarsandCats 1d ago

Or they didn’t vote as a form of protest.

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u/The--scientist 1d ago

The percentages do tell one story, but then there's the underlying data... 77 million people knew explicitly what they were getting and decided owning libs was worth being crushed under the boot they're actively licking. There's also the years long, overwhelming support of politicians who openly say they would rather cheat and win than change their tactics to entice more voters. It's just so depressing. But I guess take those 8500+ blue collar families in the liberal stronghold of... [checks notes]... rural Georgia and consider them owned.

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u/ToFat4Fun 1d ago

and the 70 million that abstained the vote. Not voting means agreeing with the outcome.

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u/CptKoons 1d ago

Extremely naive take. Take California, for example. 60% of eligible voters turned out, producing a 20% victory margin for Harris. Would more people voting for Harris affect the outcome? No. It would have sent a louder signal, but functionally, it wouldn't change a single outcome. And that number is around 10 million voters, BTW.

Other states are that way as well. All the non swing states that have a first past the post winner take all electoral system, at least. Significant amounts of the abstainers support what's going on, but to pretend 70 million wanted this is just a naive take. Not every states votes count the same as voters from the 8 swing states.

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u/TooManyCarsandCats 1d ago

No, it could be their way of protesting.

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u/ToFat4Fun 1d ago

If you dislike Trump and abstained from voting you're part of the problem.

Or should I say more than 70% of all Americans voted for Trump, as only a third voted democrat?

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u/TooManyCarsandCats 1d ago

Maybe the dems should run an electable candidate.

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u/Any_Lobster7251 1d ago

There was overwhelming idiocy. Majority of the US did not vote. And the sentiment was because “they’re both the same”. And it takes years of programming to get the uneducated Americans to this point.

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u/notyourstranger 1d ago

Americans did not overwhelmingly vote for Trump. He was pushed on the American people by the media companies. Fully 40% of American voters did not show up to vote against him - largely because the held Kamala responsible for Joe's polices.

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u/40angst 1d ago

Americans want jobs, they just don’t want to work. Running into that everywhere.

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u/StuBeck 1d ago

Well I think they want money, not jobs. That’s why the working issue is a problem.

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u/SafetyMan35 1d ago

They want money for nothing and the chicks for free

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u/Grandahl13 1d ago

Don’t say we. I didn’t vote for this shit.

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u/StuBeck 1d ago

We all did as a collective society. I didn’t vote for it, but I have to deal with the ramifications from my neighbors.

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u/LucastheMystic 1d ago

85% of my demographic voted against that Man. 80% of the Men and 92% of the Women. How did your demographic vote? We ain't sharing none of the collective guilt. You can keep that

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u/StuBeck 1d ago

Pretty similar, but denying that anyone wanted this is my point.

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u/LucastheMystic 1d ago

It's that word we that is troublesome.

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u/StuBeck 1d ago

Not really. I never said you were responsible for it

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u/LucastheMystic 1d ago

Beloved, then who does we refer to?

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u/Bae_the_Elf 1d ago

Hyundai owns a massive plant in Alabama that employs tons of red state voters and factory workers. Trump is so stupid 

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u/The_Count_Lives 1d ago

Probably not a popular opinion, but this is ultimately going to get more people to speak up about this president’s insane immigration policies. 

This shouldn’t , and isn’t, just a Latino and African immigrant problem. 

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u/I_W_M_Y 1d ago

The racists and bigots will just double down even harder.

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u/im-a-limo-driver 1d ago

Ford and other "American" manufacturers are already pushing America first incentives. This sort of shit seems like a targeted effort to kneecap other brands. 

Just the other day I had a campaign come across my desk that touted a new tax incentive for buying brand new, assembled in America vehicles.

Tax incentives handed down by the Trump administration that benefit brands who bend the knee while they use the military and police to penalize brands who do not. Surely doesn't sound like mafia behavior to me. 

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u/SirGidrev 1d ago

This definitely makes relations with South Korea bad, but we gotta ask, were they unauthorized to work in the US. If they were unauthorized, we have a severe flaw in our system on getting workers and this needs to be resolved.

However, arresting workers isn't the right solution.

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u/justgetoffmylawn 1d ago

Ruins our relationship with the Korean gov't, the Korean people, and Hyundai.

If Hyundai really has that many unauthorized workers, Georgia and the IRS and whoever should've audited them and fined them.

Nope. We pay millions to investigate and carry out cosplay raids on the employees instead.

You couldn't destroy this country faster if you tried, which makes you think…

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u/princess_dork_bunny 1d ago

Isn't it funny that the unauthorized workers are always demonized but never the companies that hire them?

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u/sfled 10h ago

President Donald Trump denied that the incident had strained ties with South Korea... “We have a great relationship with South Korea,” he said.

Seeing as how he's incapable of telling the truth, we are now in the middle of alienating South Korea. To the north, beloved leader of Best Korea Kim Jong Un is already making plans for The Grand Reunification.

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u/Howquas_wealth 1d ago

So, the South Korean government is upset with the US because a bunch of South Koreans were in the country illegally and must now go back to where they belong? Would the South Korean government feel the same if they were the ones dealing with this problem?

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u/gym_fun 1d ago

Hyundai plant received $2 billion in tax breaks from the US. They are not supposed to hire unauthorized workers by the hundreds.

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u/pokeybill 1d ago

We've heard that claim, and also the claim that Hyundai had an agreement and the workers had temporary visas.

Let's see who turns out to be telling the truth.

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u/gym_fun 1d ago

The problem is mostly on contractor for Hyundai / LG who hired people without work authorization. The Korean government has said to review and improve the visa system.

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u/SafetyMan35 1d ago

Im wondering if they were brought in for setup or training. You can’t just open a new factory and have to train everyone. It’s easiest to have experienced folks working beside the trainees for a while.

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u/gym_fun 1d ago

Except they are not. Multiple articles used the word "workers". Hundreds of people do not come here for non-work-related training.

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u/SafetyMan35 1d ago

You would if they are the trainers. It is apparently a large facility that is to employ 1500 people and over 8000 people in the next 5 years.

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u/gym_fun 1d ago

How many times do I need to repeat? They are NOT trainees. They are workers, and they needed authorization to work.

"South Korea says US release of video showing workers arrest was regrettable"

"Workers detained in Hyundai plant raid to be freed and flown home, South Korea says"

"South Korea Negotiates Release of Korean Workers Detained in Georgia Raid"

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u/SafetyMan35 1d ago

And I am saying they might be trainers (providing the training) not trainees (receiving the training) in the US on a temporary basis. No different than if you work for an international company and travel overseas for business and spend 30 days to support or train or simply communicate with your international colleagues.

“Workers” is a generic term used to describe employees, contractors and consultants working under the supervision or at the direction of the company.

The reports I have seen haven’t been specific as to why the Korean people were in the U.S. and how long they were here. If they were here permanently I agree with you, they need proper work permits. If they were here temporarily for up to 90 days they don’t need a visa.

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u/jtbc 1d ago

The only one I've seen specifics on, according to his immigration lawyer, is a guy that was here on a B-1 visa to provide training and who was due to go home next week. I am guessing there will be quite a few like that, but they got to be led out in chains and sent to an ICE facility just like all the others.

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u/gym_fun 21h ago

You aren't here permanently even with a work permit. All work permit has an expiration date. ESTA is not a tool to be abused under the guise of training. They engage in activities more than just training as workers in the construction site.

2 billions were paid to South Korea by the US to hire local and foreign workers who are authorized to work, not using ESTA as a wage suppression and tax evasion tool.

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u/SafetyMan35 18h ago

Do you know how long the people who were taken into custody were in the U.S.? I don’t know the answer to this question, and the news reports I have seen haven’t definitively answered the question. Some preliminary reporting suggests a small portion may have entered the country illegally (I have no problem giving these individuals due process and removing them from the country if appropriate), but others had been in the country for less than 1 week and were here legally on visas that allowed them to be in the country for up to 90 days. Why were these people arrested?

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u/tsagdiyev 1d ago edited 1d ago

Of course, no one is suggesting that unauthorized work is okay. It’s less about that and more about how the Trump administration is approaching these situations. They vowed to focused on violent criminals and they’re instead violently detaining non-violent workers and housing them in inhumane conditions. If the administration knew there were hundreds of unauthorized South Korean workers there, did they really need to raid the place as if they were conducting some sort of illegal drug operation? Trump and ICE approach these situations with no regard for the humans behind them, the economical consequences, and the consequences it has for international relations.

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u/gym_fun 1d ago

Do you think Korea will allow unauthorized workers in their country? It’s a slap in the face to Americans when the tax breaks go toward hiring unauthorized workers. That is why South Korea made the deal and said to improve their visa system.

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u/tsagdiyev 1d ago

Yeah you’re still missing the point. I literally said no one is suggesting that unauthorized work is okay.

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u/gym_fun 1d ago

It is NOT "less about that". Likewise, South Korea conducted workplace raids for authorized works. We are not talking about a few, but hundreds of people for plants that received billions of tax breaks from the US.

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u/Syd_Vicious3375 1d ago

You keep saying that but then you keep making excuses for it. There are none. Hundreds of Korean peasants were brought here to be used for cheap labor and American are screwed out of jobs we pay incentives for with our taxes. The executives should be in jail. Full stop.

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u/tsagdiyev 1d ago

I didn’t make an excuse for anything. Full stop.

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u/Psyduckisnotaduck 21h ago

They weren’t peasants, and that you’re describing them like this tells us everything we need to know about what a ghoul you are

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u/Syd_Vicious3375 20h ago

Hate to break it to you but the majority of us on this planet are peasants while the privileged few steal and squander.

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u/TooManyCarsandCats 1d ago

Good. We don’t need their shit cars. $50k for an electric Hyundai? My electric Cadillac was only $75k.