Poll reveals disappointment among Koreans over recent U.S. detentions at factory

Nearly six in 10 Koreans said they were disappointed in the U.S. government’s recent detention of Korean nationals at a joint battery factory operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Ellabell, Georgia.

This image from video provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via Dvids shows manufacturing plant employees waiting to have their legs shackled at a joint battery factory operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution on Sept. 4 in Ellabell, Georgia. [AP/YONHAP]

Nearly six in 10 Koreans said they were disappointed in the U.S. government’s recent detention of Korean nationals at a joint battery factory operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Ellabell, Georgia, according to a poll released by Realmeter on Tuesday.

In a survey of 508 adults nationwide conducted on Monday, 59.2 percent of respondents said they were disappointed by what they saw as excessive action by the U.S. government. In contrast, 30.7 percent said they understood the detentions as unavoidable, while 10.2 percent said they were unsure. Political orientation appeared to influence responses. Among progressives, 73.7 percent expressed disappointment, while 65.4 percent of centrists said the same. But 53.9 percent of conservatives said they understood the U.S. government’s actions.

A majority of respondents in their 40s and older also said they were disappointed. But among those in their 20s and 30s, only around 45 percent expressed disappointment.

The criticism follows a large-scale immigration raid by U.S. authorities on Thursday at the joint battery factory. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained more than 300 Korean nationals at the construction site of the joint battery plant, citing that they had engaged in activities inconsistent with the purpose of their stay.

The poll, conducted using an automated phone response system, had a margin of error of ±4.3 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY SHIN HYE-YEON [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]