‘We Welcome Them’: Trump Backs Foreign Workers After Raid Prompts S Korea Investment Warning

Last Updated:September 15, 2025, 07:59 IST

The post came as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung issued a warning over the crackdown, saying that Korean businesses may reconsider direct investments in the United States.

US President Donald Trump. (AP File Photo)

US President Donald Trump said America must allow foreign companies to bring in their expert workers to train Americans in advanced industries, warning that restrictive measures could drive away vital investments. His comments on Truth Social came after nearly 475 South Korean nationals were detained in a raid at a Hyundai battery plant in Georgia.

“When Foreign Companies who are building extremely complex products, machines, and various other ‘things,’ come into the United States with massive Investments, I want them to bring their people of expertise for a period of time to teach and train our people… If we didn’t do this, all of that massive Investment will never come in the first place — Chips, Semiconductors, Computers, Ships, Trains, and so many other products that we have to learn from others how to make, or, in many cases, relearn," Trump wrote.

He stressed that the US must remain open to outside expertise to maintain competitiveness. “For example, Shipbuilding, where we used to build a Ship a day and now, we barely build a Ship a year. I don’t want to frighten off or disincentivize Investment into America by outside Countries or Companies. We welcome them, we welcome their employees, and we are willing to proudly say we will learn from them, and do even better than them at their own ‘game,’ sometime into the not too distant future!"

The post came as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung issued a sharp warning over the crackdown, saying that Korean businesses may reconsider direct investments in the United States. “As things stand now, our businesses will hesitate to make direct investments in the United States," Lee said, according to MSNBC. He also urged Washington to ease visa restrictions for South Korean workers to safeguard future projects.

The fallout has triggered a diplomatic balancing act. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday, emphasising that Washington welcomes Korean investment, especially in shipbuilding and other strategic industries. “ROK investment revitalises American manufacturing and promotes a fair and reciprocal trade partnership," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement after the meeting.

News world ‘We Welcome Them’: Trump Backs Foreign Workers After Raid Prompts S Korea Investment Warning

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