South Korea's president called the situation "extremely bewildering," and noted that it's common for South Korean companies to send their workers to other countries to help set up factories overseas.
VW is reportedly close to an agreement with the U.S. that would bring tariffs for the company under 15%, in exchange for sizable manufacturing investments in the country.
Hyundai Motor Company said it was aware of the incident at the HL-GA Battery Company construction site and was "working to understand the specific circumstances."
Suppliers, many of whom are small and medium sized businesses, have said they simply do not have the financial resources to cope with an extended shutdown.
Ford blamed a lower-than-expected demand for EVs in Europe on a lack of government incentives to buy the vehicles, and limited investments in sufficient charging infrastructure.