by liberal japonicus
I would like to research this post more, but we are still trying to get a handle on the comments and what constitutes ‘approval’ in WordPress, so I’ll put this up a little rougher than I prefer. Don’t get used to it!
During ObWi’s brief Babylonian exile, just before the death of Charlie Kirk, ICE conducted an operation targeting an EV production site of Hyundai. If you haven’t read about it, here is the wikipedia page for details. It is interesting that a candidate for Congress, Tori Branum, claimed her report to ICE was a factor in the raid, as well as the confused breakdown of nationalities, which suggests a level of disorganization. Apparently, ICE did not have any Korean translators with them, and
There were some interesting reactions from foreigners I know in Korea. I haven’t engaged them, but a few suggested some hypocrisy on the part of Korea and Hyundai, in part because Hyundai has a bad reputation for labor practices, while a few others pointed out that foreigners in Korea often run afoul of labor and visa laws. On the other hand, the Koreans I know are really pissed. This Korea Times article is a good read, especially to note the reporting of the arrests. The point that Christopher Landau, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, ‘expressed deep regret’ seems to be either citing South Korean reports or Landau’s social media, there is no official statement of regret.
One reason they are pissed is that the treatment harkens back to the Japanese treatment of Koreans, especially the use of Koreans for forced labor in WWII. (Asia-Pacific Journal’s articles on the issue are here) I feel like it is difficult for the average American to understand what kinds of buttons this pushed and I imagine this is even more true for the MAGA types and while reports have hinted at that, I don’t think they really explain it.
I’ve also looked at video of the raids, and it looks like there were no Korean translators. By all accounts, ICE was not prepared for the large number of people they arrested, from the details of their incarceration and treatment. I think this is significant because it supports what this lawyer, who represented some of the detainees, says, which is that ICE took this as low-hanging fruit to boost their numbers, the administration wants to erase this screwup (the fact that not only was the release of the discussion between the State Department and Korea different depending on which country, the fact that they went back and changed the news release is pretty damning)
I’m also wondering why other businesses, such as chicken farms (Georgia is supposed to be the ‘Poulty capital of the world’) or similar enterprises haven’t been raided. Was it assumed that Koreans might be more compliant?
This link describes the treatment of the workers, and a secret diary recorded by one of the workers.
When asked about where the worker was from, the person replied South Korea, to which the agents smiled and talked among themselves, making remarks about “North Korea” and “rocket man,” apparently referring to U.S. President Donald Trump’s past moniker for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
I keep looking for things to wrap this up and I find more. It’s a gift that keeps on giving…
Massively competent execution, just as one would expect.
— Scouting out the target, so as to know how many targets, what type (i.e. nationality) of targets, etc.? Check
— Briefing the agents involved, so that they were clear on what types of visas were applicable/valid to foreign workers at this site? Check
— Employing agents who have a clue about the nation from which the targets come? Check
— Preparation to handle the detainees expeditiously? Check
— Careful consideration of the impact of the raid on the administration’s efforts to get foreign firms to site plants in the US? Check
And if you believe
allany of that, I’ve got some premium beach front property in Afghanistan that I will make you a great price on.The only obvious fail was in not getting the detainees onto planes and off to Sudan or El Salvador or some other garden spot before anybody could react. Better luck next time.
My bet is that Hyundai scraps plans for this plant. Not least because they will have no workers who are willing to go. Indeed, I will be unsurprised if NO Korean companies are willing to consider new facilities in the US. For that matter, any foreign company considering doing anything here has got to be doing a serious re-think.
I hope they scrap the plant. I wonder what the local people in the area think about this. It doesn’t seem like there is any limit to how many convoluted thought pretzels Trump supporters can conjure up to rationalize their continued support, but maybe being screwed out of 8000 good paying jobs in a depressed area will mean something to them? How do the voters feel about the R pol responsible for this?
Indeed, I will be unsurprised if NO Korean companies are willing to consider new facilities in the US.
One big question is the massive integrated circuit fab Samsung is building in Texas. It’s supposed to cost $17B to build fully, and some small parts are preparing to open soon. The motivation behind it is, of course, both Biden and Trump’s insistence that Samsung and TSMC bring their bleeding-edge technology to the US. The fab complex is so large that some of Samsung’s primary Korean suppliers have also started building large operations nearby.
I wonder what the local people in the area think about this.
“It’s Joe Biden’s fault!”
TSMC also is doing a huge fab in Phoenix which is apparently having lots of problems. I’m really interested in that one because TSMC is also coming to the prefecture I’m living in. Here is a youtube video about the problems
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD1jyk3LhA8
In late 2024, a $40 billion chip factory rises from Arizona’s desert, aiming to recreate the magic of TSMC’s worldleading Taiwan fabs. The stakes are high. This is where chips for iPhones and AI supercomputers will be born. Yet, early on, engineers faced a baffling dilemma. The facility had to import ultra pure sulfuric acid from 6,500 m away in Taiwan. American suppliers couldn’t meet TSMC’s standards, and local chemicals cost five times more. Even Intel, the veteran US chipmaker next door, jumped in to buy from these overseas shipments, a fact TSMC’s CEO relayed with incredulity. How did you live before? It was very hard before, but now you are here, he recalls Intel saying.
The level of technology for the Hyundai plant wasn’t at the level of a chip fab, but I imagine there were a ton of things that required oversight from headquarters. So I just have to laugh with the interviews of MAGAts who say ‘just hire American, we have lots of people who could do that.’
Pressure was put on TSMC to hire US workers, even though there were very few US workers qualified to build and operate the plants. Government industrial policies often result in paying more for less.