The document indicates that even before the Trump administration, South Korea's LG New Energy had been using loopholes in U.S. visa policies to address work visa issues.

Internal documents show that long before Trump returned to the presidency and his administration launched a large-scale crackdown and detained hundreds of LG employees, South Korean LG New Energy had already been using various methods to circumvent visa restrictions in the United States. LG New Energy's dependence on visa waiver programs began during the previous administration of Trump. This situation reflects a longstanding challenge for South Korean companies - they say they are repeatedly blocked when applying for short-term visas for the professional talent needed for high-tech factories in the United States. A detailed set of guidelines from the company was outlined in internal LG documents obtained by the media in August 2023. The documents suggest that after multiple visa applications were rejected, LG advised employees and subcontractors to use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization waiver program to bypass the business visa application process. This month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security conducted the largest immigration crackdown in history, detaining over 300 South Koreans at a U.S. automobile battery factory jointly owned by LG and Hyundai, including 250 LG employees and contractors.