EP 36: Cultural black eye in Georgia - when ICE raided Hyundai
Description
In this episode of The Auto Ethnographer, host John Stech explores the cultural and diplomatic shockwaves following a U.S. immigration raid at a Korean-run EV battery plant in Georgia. Nearly 500 Korean nationals - engineers, technicians, and students - were detained despite holding valid visas. The raid triggered not only legal action but also a deep rupture in trust between South Korea and the United States.
John examines the human toll, the Korean cultural concept of chemyeon (face), and how public humiliation abroad reverberates through Korean society. He connects the incident to South Korea’s escape from an authoritarian past and highlights how the raid was framed as a moral and diplomatic crisis. With Korean firms reevaluating U.S. investments and a class-action lawsuit now underway, this episode asks: What happens when dignity is violated in a global business partnership?
This is not just a story about immigration enforcement—it’s about cultural diplomacy, strategic clarity, and the fragile nature of trust between allies. Tune in for a sobering look at how global mobility intersects culture and politics, and why symbolic repair may be the only path forward.
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