LEILA FADEL, HOST:
For more on this, we're joined by Tami Overby, an international business consultant. She formerly led the U.S.-Korea Business Council at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She was also president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea. Good morning, Tami. Thank you for being on the program.
TAMI OVERBY: My pleasure.
FADEL: So why do you think this raid happened at the construction site of a U.S. Hyundai plant, and why now?
OVERBY: I think because it's a major construction project, probably one of the largest going on. South Korean investors are among the largest in the U.S. right now, and there are lots of people there. And I think - why now? We understand - this reveals the tension between the Trump administration's desire to bring - make things in America, bring these factories back and the lack of high-skilled workers to actually build these plants.
FADEL: So what is the message of a raid - let's say it like this. You point out that South Korean companies are spending here. They recently pledged to spend tens of billions of dollars in the U.S. in shipbuilding, semiconductors, batteries, and it's something the U.S. really advocated for. So with a raid like this, what is the message to the business community in South Korea and other foreign companies? Will they keep investing and building in the U.S.?
OVERBY: That's a great question, and I will tell you that the videos and the photos of Koreans being gathered up and treated like criminals is playing all over Asia. And I'm sure today and in the days going forward, boardrooms will be full of discussions about, is the U.S. a reliable trade partner right now? Is this how we want to treat companies that are spending billions of dollars here and creating high-paying, good 21st-century jobs for Americans? One of my Korean friends said, it sounds like you want our money, but you don't want us.
FADEL: What about - you know, the U.S. attorney in southern Georgia said the operation was to, quote, "prevent employers from gaining an unfair advantage by hiring unauthorized workers," unquote. Do you think that's what's going on here?
OVERBY: Well, I think certainly that's part of that, but I think it's a much broader and deeper issue. The U.S. has labor shortages in construction, and we're just not talking about, you know, building a simple house. These are advanced manufacturing facilities, and the question of whether the U.S. has enough high-skilled talent to build these, I think, is a fair question to ask. And I do believe it's very common for - you know, when I worked in Korea in the '90s, I would see Americans coming to Korea to oversee the building of their facilities there. As you train and transfer that management technology and that know-how, it takes time, and you've got to bring it in. And as you pointed out, shipbuilding, semiconductors - we don't have a lot of that technology in the U.S. We're trying to get it, and the Koreans were willing to do it and bring their money to do it. And now my - I'm being asked, is this how you treat your friends?
FADEL: What about the issue - I mean, one of the things is this plant comes to Georgia, and Georgians were hoping this would bring jobs. And now many people are questioning why these jobs were going to foreign workers and not Americans. What do you say to them?
OVERBY: Well, I think, one, I'm, you know, just speaking with the information I've seen from the press...
FADEL: Yeah.
OVERBY: ...No direct knowledge. But I think it - as I mentioned, when you're building a facility that is a, you know - advanced manufacturing in a technology that the U.S. doesn't have, it's - to me, it kind of makes sense that they would send their people to oversee some of the cutting-edge stuff that needs to be done. But I think as you - you know, if you look at the Hyundai and Kia plants, they're in Georgia and Alabama. I think you'll find that once the plants are up and running and they - you know, they - the goal is to hire local American citizens. And the reason is 'cause it's cheaper. It's less expensive.
FADEL: Tami Overby formerly led the U.S.-Korea Business Council at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Thank you, Tami, for your time.
OVERBY: My pleasure. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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