Shock and Disappointment Mark a Tense Week... From Arrest to Release of Korean Workers

Detained on charges of illegal stay at a worksite in a foreign land... Released after 7 days

Dragged away with hands and feet bound, suffered hardships in poor conditions... Release delay caused further shock

Korean workers arrested by US immigration authorities on the 4th (local time) [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/ Yonhap News. Reproduction and DB prohibited]

Over 300 Korean workers, who were toiling in the United States, a distant land, were released a week after being arrested in a raid by US immigration authorities.

The bus carrying them departed from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, on the 11th (local time) and headed for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

This release came a week after they were apprehended and detained by federal agents who stormed the construction site of the Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia, on the 4th.

According to operation videos released by ICE on the 4th and media reports, US agents, mobilized with helicopters, raided the Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution work site, verified the immigration status of employees, lined up most of them around a bus, and bound their legs and hands with chains before boarding them onto the bus one by one.

Korean workers, who had been toiling and enduring hardships in a foreign country, were treated as criminals in an instant and taken to a detention facility.

Korean workers arrested by US immigration authorities on the 4th (local time) [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/ Yonhap News. Reproduction and DB prohibited]

One worker on site told CNN that the US agents stormed in "as if it were a war zone."

A Korean employee who was not arrested, holding a valid visa, told BBC that "phones rang simultaneously and a message to stop work was given," and that the arrested colleagues were taken away without even their mobile phones.

Those arrested were transferred to the ICE detention facility (Processing Center) in Folkston, Georgia, where the conditions have been criticized as inadequate.

The Atlanta field office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced on its X (formerly Twitter) account that day that it had conducted a "large-scale immigration enforcement operation" at the Hyundai Motor battery plant construction site with the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ICE, and the Georgia State Patrol.

The following day, HSI stated that it had "executed search warrants in connection with an ongoing investigation into illegal employment practices and serious federal criminal offenses," and that 475 people were arrested at the site.

The HSI official said that those arrested had either entered the US illegally or were working illegally in violation of their visa status.

The South Korean government immediately convened an emergency response meeting to address the situation, and on the 6th, the third day of the incident, a consul from the Consulate General in Atlanta began interviewing the approximately 300 detained Koreans at the ICE detention facility.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs established an on-site task force headed by Consul General Cho Ki-joong in Washington to actively respond to the situation.

Subsequently, on the 7th, Korean time, Kang Hoon-sik, Secretary to the President, announced that negotiations for the release of those involved had been made with the United States, and that a chartered flight would depart to bring them back to Korea as soon as administrative procedures were completed.

Consul General Cho Ki-joong told reporters on the 7th (US time) outside the ICE detention facility in Folkston that the return of the Korean workers was "expected around Wednesday (the 10th)."

Korean workers arrested by US immigration authorities on the 4th (local time) [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/ Yonhap News. Reproduction and DB prohibited]

On the same day (7th, US time), when asked by reporters about the incident, U.S. President Donald Trump stated, "We have a very good relationship with South Korea," and added, "If we don't have people who know about batteries in this country, we should help them and bring some people (to the US) so our people can be trained to do complex work, whether it's battery manufacturing, computer manufacturing, or shipbuilding."

President Trump further emphasized, "We have many industries that we no longer have. We need to exchange people," lending weight to the prospect that the situation would not worsen.

Later, a Korean Air chartered flight to repatriate the Korean workers took off from Incheon Airport at 10:21 AM Korean time on the 10th, and their departure from the US was scheduled for around 2:30 PM on the 10th (3:30 AM on the 11th Korean time).

However, the atmosphere took a sharp turn when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the afternoon of the 10th, Korean time, that "departure of our citizens detained in Georgia on the 10th (local time) has become difficult due to US-side circumstances." This came as another shock, raising concerns about potential issues in the negotiation process with the United States.

Folkston Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Facility [Yonhap News File Photo] Detainees exercise at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, where Koreans detained by US immigration authorities were held, on September 10, 2025 (local time), as the departure of the chartered flight to bring them back was delayed due to US-side circumstances. 2025.9.10 photo@yna.co.kr

Fortunately, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told reporters at the Korean Embassy in Washington DC on the 10th (US time) that "our citizens who are currently detained will be able to return by plane (chartered flight) tomorrow (the 11th), and we have reconfirmed with the US side that no handcuffs will be used during the process."

Minister Cho stated that he had met with U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio for about 20 minutes, followed by a meeting with Deputy National Security Advisor and Vice Presidential National Security Advisor Andy Baker, to finalize related consultations.

Furthermore, Minister Cho explained that the Koreans detained in connection with this incident would not face any disadvantages when entering the US in the future.

At his 100-day press conference on the 11th, Korean time, President Lee Jae-myung stated regarding the release and return schedule of the Korean workers, "They are scheduled to depart from the detention facility at 3 PM Korean time (2 AM local time on the 11th)," and added, "The plane is expected to take off around 1 AM tomorrow (noon local time on the 11th) and arrive in Seoul in the afternoon."

The Korean workers, who had suffered hardships while being detained in a foreign land, were finally able to return to their homeland with relief.

Korean Air chartered flight for detained Koreans in the US arrives in Atlanta [Yonhap News File Photo] A Korean Air chartered flight to carry Koreans detained at the construction site of the Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant (HL-GA Battery Company) in Georgia, USA, lands at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on September 10, 2025 (local time). 2025.9.10 photo@yna.co.kr