South Korea said it has concluded talks with the United States to secure the release and repatriation of its citizens detained in a large-scale immigration enforcement operation at a Hyundai-LG Energy Solution battery plant in Georgia.
Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, said Seoul and Washington had agreed that a chartered plane would be dispatched to return the detainees if "administrative procedures" are completed, and that South Korean authorities were pressing to improve visa rules to prevent similar incidents. The statement came after U.S. officials said 475 people were detained in the raid, more than 300 of them South Korean nationals.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) said the workers were found to be illegally employed at the plant, which is a joint venture between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution and one of the largest foreign investment projects in Georgia. HSI Special Agent Steven Schrank said the operation was necessary to protect American jobs and "sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable." ICE has said people on short-term or visa-waiver entries are not authorized to work in the United States.
The raid, conducted on Friday, drew immediate attention because of the scale of detentions and because video released by ICE showed lines of predominantly Asian workers shackled outside a building, some wearing yellow vests bearing names such as "Hyundai" and "LG CNS." The footage and numbers of detainees prompted concern in Seoul about the treatment of South Korean nationals and the potential diplomatic fallout between close allies.
The White House defended the operation, with President Donald Trump saying, "They were illegal aliens and ICE was just doing its job." U.S. officials have stressed that enforcement of immigration laws is separate from efforts to attract foreign investment, even as the Biden administration has been actively courting overseas manufacturing commitments.
LG Energy Solution said many of its employees detained in the sweep were on business trips under various visa categories or the visa waiver programme. The company reported that 47 of its own employees and about 250 workers employed by contractors at the joint venture facility were detained. LG said it had suspended most business travel to the United States and directed employees who were on assignment in the U.S. to return home immediately.
The factory, built to produce batteries for electric vehicles, had been hailed by Georgia's Republican governor as the state's largest economic development project and was expected to employ about 1,200 people. Arrested workers are being held at an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia.
The timing of the enforcement action has added sensitivity to ongoing trade and investment discussions. South Korea has pledged tens of billions of dollars in U.S. manufacturing investment in recent months, a diplomatic and economic partnership that both countries have sought to highlight. South Korean media described the raid as a "shock," and outlets such as the Dong-A Ilbo warned it could have a "chilling effect on the activities of our businesses in the United States."
Seoul’s push to revise visa rules follows worries that short-term business travel and other nonimmigrant entries can leave workers vulnerable to enforcement actions if employment circumstances change. South Korean officials said they were engaging U.S. counterparts on both the immediate repatriation effort and longer-term policy adjustments to protect legitimate business activities while respecting U.S. immigration law.
U.S. and South Korean officials did not disclose a firm timeline for the return flights. The outcome will be watched by multinational firms and governments seeking to balance enforcement of immigration rules with the need to maintain investor confidence and the smooth movement of international corporate personnel.