SEOUL, October 03 (AJP) - LG Energy Solution is sending staff back to the United States, ending a one-month freeze on business travel triggered by the mass detention of South Korean workers at its joint battery plant in Georgia. The move signals a step toward normalizing operations for South Korea’s battery industry, which had been rattled by the unprecedented crackdown.
The company announced on October 2 that it would restart trips gradually after the Chuseok holiday, South Korea's autumn thanksgiving holiday season, beginning with essential personnel. Travel had been suspended since September 4, when U.S. immigration authorities detained 47 LG Energy Solution employees and more than 250 partner company staff at the HL-GA plant it is building with Hyundai Motor in Bryan County, Georgia. The detentions caused immediate delays at the site and heightened concerns among South Korean firms about legal exposure for workers on short-term assignments.
LG Energy Solution said the decision followed discussions in a bilateral working group, where it confirmed that workers with B-1 short-term business visas and ESTA travel authorizations can legally carry out equipment installation, inspection, and maintenance work in U.S. factories. "It was also taken into account that we had been using legitimate visas consistent with the purpose and duration of the trips," the company said.
The firm has introduced safeguards aimed at preventing further incidents. Business travel will be organized mainly around B-1 visas, while ESTA authorizations will only be used for meetings or event attendance. The company also outlined plans to strengthen on-site legal services, require staff to carry documentation proving the legitimacy of their work, and assign responsibility for compliance to managers at each subsidiary with additional support from outside counsel.
"We will ensure safe business travel environments to maintain trust with customers and do our utmost to normalize the construction and operation of our U.S. plants," LG Energy Solution said in a statement.
The restart is expected to accelerate projects that had been slowed by the disruption. LG Energy Solution operates or is building seven factories in the United States, part of an aggressive push to meet surging demand for electric vehicle batteries. At the HL-GA site in Georgia, installation and preparation work that was halted after the detentions is set to resume.
Other South Korean battery makers are also moving back to normal schedules. SK On recently reinstated its B-1 visa holders and lifted travel suspensions, while Samsung SDI said its U.S. operations were not affected by the incident.
The detentions underscored a growing tension point in South Korea-U.S. business ties. For South Korean companies, short-term travel by engineers and technicians is central to building new U.S. plants. The arrests raised alarm in Seoul and prompted direct government engagement with Washington to clarify what work foreign nationals can legally perform under different visa categories.
Industry officials say the swift resumption of travel is essential to keep multibillion-dollar projects on track. LG Energy Solution’s U.S. investments, along with those of SK On and Samsung SDI, form a critical part of both South Korea’s global battery expansion and U.S. efforts to localize electric vehicle supply chains.
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