Chartered Flight for Detained Koreans in U.S. to Depart for Atlanta Tomorrow... Korean Air to Deploy Special Aircraft

Airport Capable of Handling Large Aircraft... Estimated Cost of Approximately 1 Billion KRW to be Covered by LG Energy Solution

Rapid Response Team Heading to Detention Facility (Folkston [Georgia, U.S.] = Yonhap News) Reporter Yoon Dong-jin = On the 8th (local time), the Rapid Response Team, including Consul General Cho Ki-joong in Washington, is heading to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, where employees of the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution battery plant construction site, arrested by U.S. authorities for immigration violations, are being held. 2025.9.9 mon@yna.co.kr

A chartered flight to bring back Koreans detained at the construction site of the Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution battery joint venture (HL-GA Battery Company) in Georgia, U.S., is scheduled to depart for the site as early as the 10th.

According to the airline industry on the 9th, Korean Air plans to deploy a B747-8i chartered flight from Incheon International Airport to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia as early as the morning of the 10th.

This large passenger aircraft, with a total of 368 seats, can accommodate all approximately 300 detained Koreans at once.

The flight to the U.S. from Korea will be a ferry flight with an empty aircraft. The return flight carrying the Koreans is expected to depart from Atlanta Airport late in the afternoon of the 10th (local time) and arrive at Incheon Airport late in the afternoon of the 11th, Korean time.

The released Koreans will first travel by car from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Folkston, southern Georgia, to Atlanta Airport, a journey of approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes (428 km), before boarding the chartered flight.

Initially, the departure airport for the return flight was considered to be Jacksonville International Airport in Florida, about a 50-minute drive from the detention facility. However, it was confirmed that there were limitations for large aircraft takeoffs and landings, leading to the final decision to use Atlanta Airport.

Korean Air Boeing 747-8i Passenger Jet [Provided by Korean Air. Resale and database prohibited]

The industry estimates the round-trip cost for the chartered flight to be around 1 billion KRW. This cost will be borne by LG Energy Solution.

In relation to this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "The costs required for deploying a chartered flight for the return of our citizens detained in Georgia, U.S., will be borne by the related companies. Therefore, it is not subject to government claims or subrogation."

Previously, U.S. authorities conducted a large-scale crackdown on undocumented immigrants at the HL-GA Battery Company construction site in Georgia on the 4th (local time), arresting 475 people.

As a result, 47 individuals from LG Energy Solution (46 Korean nationals and 1 Indonesian national) and approximately 250 personnel from equipment suppliers related to HL-GA Battery Company were detained.

The Koreans detained this time were reportedly apprehended because they were engaged in activities that did not align with their visa status, such as working on-site while holding B-1 visas for business meetings or contracts, or using the visa-waiver program's Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).