Federal agents detained 475 workers while raiding a Georgia Hyundai plant on September 4^th, saying that the arrested workers were suspected of living and working in the United States illegally. Among the detainees were 317 skilled South Korean workers setting up an electric vehicle battery plant. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun traveled to Washington on Monday to negotiate the workers’ release following a parliamentary session in Seoul, during which numerous lawmakers demanded retaliatory action. Finally, all but one of the Korean workers were allowed to return home on a voluntary basis along with several others from China, Japan, and Indonesia; just one Korean worker elected to remain in the United States. The plane sent to recover the workers from Atlanta is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Friday, 12th September.

American officials have said the raid was the Homeland Security Investigation’s largest single-site operation, and its large scale may have consequences for U.S.-South Korea relations. In a public statement on Tuesday, Korean President Lee Jae Myung said “[he hopes] that the unfair infringement of [his] people and corporate activities for the joint development of both Korea and the United States will not happen again.” Two days later, he warned that Korean businesses would be wary of directly investing in the United States.

In late July, Lee pledged $350 billion in American investments in a trade deal with President Trump, but the South Korean President’s concerns reflect ongoing feuds about American working visas. According to the New York Times, Hyundai outsourced work to South Korean nationals since such skilled labor is not available in the U.S. However, securing long-term working visas is difficult, so workers often use short-term visas or visa-waiver programs instead.

ICE’s raid on the Georgia plant illustrates how the American visa system has created economic inefficiencies as firms are unable to reliably find labor for development. However, some are optimistic that this incident will force Koreans and Americans to negotiate and reach a more comprehensive agreement.  James Kim, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Seoul, told CBS that he sees this as “an opportunity to really fix some things that could be in the grey area” to improve U.S.-South Korea relations. Kim advised companies to heed Trump’s request to bring their labor and expertise to America legally, but he acknowledged that it may be beneficial for Washington to adopt a policy allowing Koreans to come and work more easily.

Kim’s comments reflect the contradicting agendas of American labor policy and South Korean industries like Hyundai, but they also reveal potential areas for mutual benefit between the two nations. South Koreans can provide and teach the skilled labor American industries need, and expanded cooperation would foster closer relations. However, the impetus then rests on the United States to loosen its policies on worker visas and ensure that Korean workers can find reliable, legal work. Doing so would promote economic growth for both countries and reduce the likelihood of similar incidents happening in the future.