In brief
South Korea has successfully negotiated the release of its citizens detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia, where over 300 South Koreans were among 475 individuals arrested. A chartered plane will be dispatched to bring them back home. The incident highlights tensions over immigration policies and US-Korea trade relations.
South Korea's government says it has concluded talks with the US to release its citizens detained in a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia.
The chief of staff of South Korea's president said a chartered plane would be sent to bring the detainees home if administration procedures were completed.
Kang Hoon-sik said the authorities are trying to improve the visa system to prevent such incidents in the future.
US officials detained 475 people - more than 300 of them South Korean nationals - who they said were found to be illegally working at the battery facility, one of the largest foreign investment projects in the state.
The White House has defended the operation, dismissing concerns that the raid could deter foreign investment.
They were illegal aliens and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] was just doing its job, President Donald Trump said following the raids on Friday.
Video released by ICE officials showed Asian workers shackled in front of a building, some wearing yellow vests indicating their work association with Hyundai and LG CNS.
ICE stated, People on short-term or recreational visas are not authorized to work in the US, emphasizing that the raid was necessary to protect American jobs.
South Korea, a close US ally, has pledged tens of billions of dollars in American manufacturing investment, in part to offset tariffs. The timing of the raid, as the two governments engage in sensitive trade talks, has raised concerns in Seoul.
LG Energy Solution, which operates the plant with Hyundai, reported that many of the LG employees arrested were on business trips with various visas or under a visa waiver program. The company has now suspended most business trips to the US and directed employees on assignment there to return home immediately.
The operation has been characterized by South Korean media as a shock, with warnings about its potential chilling effects on business activities in the US.
The arrests occurred at a factory dedicated to manufacturing electric vehicles, hailed by Georgia's Republican governor as the largest economic development project in the state, employing around 1,200 individuals.
The detainees are currently held at an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia. LG Energy Solution reported that 47 of its employees and approximately 250 workers for contractors at the joint venture factory were detained.
