Over half of the Korean workers detained at a Hyundai-LG battery plant site in Georgia had entered the United States under the visa waiver program ESTA.

Parliamentary data submitted to Democratic Party lawmaker Han Jeong-ae showed that 170 of 317 detained Koreans were traveling on ESTA when U.S. authorities carried out the raid.

For Hyundai Engineering, 60 out of 67 subcontractor staff used ESTA, along with  24 out of 46 LG Energy Solution headquarters staff  and 86 subcontractor employees.

Another 146 detainees held B1/B2 visas, which are intended for short-term business and tourism, rather than employment.

Han said the episode underlined how U.S. visa rules have failed to reflect the reality of Korean companies’ expanding investments.

She urged Seoul and Washington to create more flexible visa arrangements to prevent further disruptions to corporate projects and workers’ livelihoods.