South Korea said it has concluded talks with the United States to secure the release of its nationals detained in a large immigration enforcement action at a Hyundai battery plant in Georgia, and that it would send a chartered plane to bring them home once U.S. administrative procedures are completed.
Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff to South Korea’s president, said Seoul was seeking both the immediate return of the detainees and improvements to the U.S. visa system to prevent similar incidents. U.S. officials detained 475 people in the raid, more than 300 of whom were reported to be South Korean nationals, at the sprawling battery facility that represents one of the largest foreign investments in Georgia.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officials said the operation, carried out on Friday, targeted people found to be working illegally in the United States. “People on short-term or recreational visas are not authorized to work in the U.S.,” ICE said, adding that the operation was necessary to protect American jobs. HSI Special Agent Steven Schrank said the operation “sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable.”
President Donald Trump defended the enforcement action, telling reporters that “they were illegal aliens and ICE was just doing its job,” and dismissing concerns that the raid could deter foreign investment. Video released by ICE showed detained Asian workers shackled in front of a building, some wearing yellow vests marked with names including “Hyundai” and “LG CNS.”
LG Energy Solution, which operates the plant in a joint venture with Hyundai, said many of the employees detained were on business trips, held various types of visas or had entered under a visa waiver program. The company said it was suspending most business trips to the United States and directing employees on assignment in the U.S. to return home immediately. LG said 47 of its employees and about 250 contractor workers at the joint venture factory were among those detained.
The factory, which produces components for electric vehicles, had been promoted by Georgia’s governor as the largest economic development project in the state’s history and a major source of jobs, with roughly 1,200 employees at the site. The detained workers are being held at an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia.
South Korea, a close U.S. ally that has pledged tens of billions of dollars in American manufacturing investment in part to offset tariffs, expressed concern about the timing of the raid amid sensitive trade and investment discussions. Seoul’s media described the operation as a shock; the Dong-A Ilbo warned it could have “a chilling effect on the activities of our businesses in the United States.”
South Korean officials have stressed that they sought to resolve the matter through diplomatic channels and administrative coordination. Kang said the government was in talks with U.S. counterparts about the visa process to try to prevent future incidents in which workers traveling on short-term or business visas are found to be engaged in unauthorized work.
U.S. officials said the enforcement action was consistent with immigration law and necessary to uphold work-authorization rules. The case has highlighted tensions between U.S. efforts to attract foreign investment and separate enforcement of immigration rules, as Washington has encouraged large overseas companies to invest in U.S. manufacturing while tightening visa allocations and cracking down on unauthorized employment.
As Seoul coordinates repatriation plans, the broader diplomatic and business fallout will be watched closely by investors and governments, with officials on both sides indicating a desire to manage the immediate humanitarian and legal issues while addressing systemic visa and labor concerns that the incident exposed.