A crackdown was also conducted in LA's Koreatown the day before hundreds of Koreans were arrested in Georgia.

Negative impacts, including the economic downturn in Koreatown..."Korean companies' investment in Korea has contributed significantly to the Korean community, but it feels like a betrayal."

Amid the major consular incident, the vacant positions of Ambassador to the U.S. and Consul General in Atlanta are on the chopping block.

(Los Angeles = Yonhap News) Correspondent Im Mi-na = As the Donald Trump administration's 'random' immigration crackdown spreads, Koreans living throughout the United States are also trembling with anxiety.

Koreans who have been contributing to the American economy by living a hard and honest life in the U.S. have recently expressed their disappointment at the U.S. government's large-scale crackdown on Koreans and Koreans living there, despite the fact that Korean companies and the government have promised massive investments in the U.S.

According to the city of LA and local media on the 8th (local time), US federal immigration authorities raided a car wash in the heart of LA's Koreatown on the morning of the 3rd and arrested five illegal alien employees.

Although Koreans were not directly affected at the time, it is said that Koreans in the area were very surprised when about 10 heavily armed security agents suddenly stormed into Koreatown.

“The immigration raid in Koreatown is deeply troubling,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “This car wash is a well-known and important part of the community, and when a business like this is targeted, it impacts the entire community.”

“Immigrant communities are the backbone of our city and deserve to be safe, protected, and supported,” he continued, protesting to the Trump administration. “These crackdowns must stop immediately.”

On the 4th, immediately after this type of 'raid' crackdown in Koreatown, a large-scale crackdown by U.S. authorities took place at the construction site of a joint battery plant between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Savannah, Georgia, resulting in the arrest of about 300 Koreans.

As Koreans and their economic activities became targets of crackdowns by U.S. immigration authorities, fear and anxiety spread throughout the Korean community.

Mr. A, a Korean who has worked as a resident in the U.S. for several years, said,"Koreans running local businesses are having a hard time these days," adding,"It's become difficult to hire employees or laborers due to visa issues, and in the case of Koreatown, the economy has gotten worse due to immigration crackdowns."

Small businesses run by Koreans often need specialized technical personnel, but finding local hires is often difficult, so Mr. A frequently brings in workers from Korea without a visa and hires them for short periods, he said. However, the arrest of the Korean national in Georgia has made that difficult.

Also, when employees in Korea come to the U.S. for short-term business trips, most of them now obtain ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) like regular tourists, but if the U.S. authorities apply strict standards, these cases could also be subject to crackdowns, explained Mr. A.

Additionally, it has been reported that Korean business owners who have employed a large number of Hispanic workers who are currently living in the country illegally are anxious about when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will raid their businesses.

Recently, in Koreatown, some businesses have been forced to close down as illegal immigrants refuse to come to work to avoid crackdowns. It has also been reported that sales at most Korean businesses have also declined as the economy has slowed down due to the economic downturn caused by the decline in economic activity and consumption by illegal Hispanic residents.

An official from a company that has Korean restaurants as its clients said,"Sales in Koreatown seem to have decreased by about 10% this year."

Koreans have expressed their discontent, saying the Trump administration's crackdown on Korean businesses, including the recent incident in Georgia, is"excessive."

The day after the news of the arrest of a Korean in Georgia was announced, Ms. Lee (49, female), a self-employed person in LA, was worried, saying,"What will happen to the Koreans who were arrested (by the authorities)?" and "It's really unfortunate that they came to work and ended up like this out of nowhere."

He then expressed his betrayal by saying,"I heard that during the recent tariff negotiations in Korea, they decided to invest a lot in the United States, but seeing that they have arrested Koreans like this, doesn't it feel like they've been completely stabbed in the back of the head?"

However, on the other hand, there are many voices calling for institutional improvements related to U.S. work visas in the wake of this incident.

Jeff Lee, executive director of the Korean American Association of Los Angeles, said,"In the case of this Georgia crackdown, it seems difficult to take issue with the crackdown itself because it was conducted jointly by several federal agencies with search warrants and other legal procedures in place," adding,"Some have pointed out that the practice of hiring and employment without proper visas at such large businesses is also problematic."

He continued,"If the number of cases of illegal employment by ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) holders increases, there is a high possibility that Korea will be removed from the list of countries subject to ESTA. If that happens, the damage will ultimately be felt by all Korean citizens, so the Korean government should step in and establish institutional support for short-term employment and job creation."

In addition, the situation in which the Consul General in Atlanta, who is responsible for consular affairs in the Georgia region, and the Ambassador to the United States, who is in charge of all Korean missions in the Americas, are both vacant in the wake of a major consular incident, has come under scrutiny.

In the absence of the Atlanta Consul General, Consul General Jo Gi-jung of Washington was dispatched to the scene following the incident and is providing consular support to the detainees.

After a new government takes office following a change of government, the practice of Korean embassies and consulates general in various countries experiencing a leadership vacuum for a certain period of time due to the departure of the heads of missions appointed by the previous administration before the new heads of mission take office is gaining ground, and criticism is growing that this is undesirable in terms of public service and diplomacy.