South Korea’s foreign minister flew to the United States on Monday to press for the return of several hundred South Korean workers detained last week during a large immigration enforcement operation at a battery plant under construction in Georgia.
U.S. authorities detained 475 people in the Sept. 4 raid at a sprawling Hyundai auto complex, more than 300 of whom were South Korean, Seoul officials said. South Korea announced Sunday that the United States had agreed to release the detained workers and that it would send a charter plane to repatriate them once final administrative steps are completed.
Video released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed some detainees shackled by hands, ankles and waists, images that have deepened public shock in South Korea and prompted political outcry. U.S. President Donald Trump, who had earlier endorsed the enforcement action, said Sunday the United States could work out arrangements for South Korean workers to train American citizens in such fields as battery and computer manufacturing.
Appearing at a parliamentary hearing before departing, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun described the raid as “a very serious matter” and told lawmakers Seoul would use the incident to push for expanded work visa channels for South Korean nationals. Cho said some of the people detained may need to return to the Georgia construction site to complete work and that South Korean officials were negotiating with American authorities to secure their reentry when necessary. “I will clearly point out to them that a delay in (the factory’s) completion would also cause significant losses for the United States,” he said.
The operation — Homeland Security Investigations’ largest enforcement action at a single site — intensified frustration in Seoul over U.S. immigration limits that officials and business leaders say have hindered the mobility of skilled Korean workers. Steven Schrank, the lead HSI agent in Georgia, said some of those detained had crossed the U.S. border illegally while others had entered legally but had expired visas or were on a visa waiver that prohibits employment.
Lawmakers from across South Korea’s political spectrum expressed anger and dismay. Cho Jeongsik of the governing Democratic Party asked how South Korean companies could continue to invest in the United States after an operation that he likened to a military-style detention. Kim Gi-hyeon of the opposition People Power Party called the raid “unacceptable” and said it had inflicted a “severe blow” to South Korea that would be hard to heal. Some lawmakers urged investigations of Americans alleged to be working illegally in South Korea.
Despite the public anger, experts and officials say Seoul is unlikely to take major retaliatory measures, given South Korea’s security reliance on the United States in deterring threats from North Korea and the broad network of bilateral cooperation that includes defense and trade. Still, analysts warned the incident could reverberate across commercial projects.
South Korean economists and market analysts flagged potential operational disruptions and higher costs for companies that have relied on short-term visitor visas or the Electronic System for Travel Authorization to mobilize technicians and specialists for U.S. plant openings. Eugene Investment & Securities warned the raid would exacerbate shortages of legally authorized skilled workers and increase pressure on labor costs. Daishin Securities said the enforcement action could delay operations at the targeted battery plant, which was slated to begin production early next year, potentially affecting Hyundai’s electric-vehicle strategy in the United States.
Commentary in South Korea reflected national unease. The conservative Chosun Ilbo, the country’s largest newspaper, wrote in an editorial that fundamental doubts were emerging about the meaning of the U.S.-South Korea alliance and whether investment benefits would be guaranteed across administrations. Scholars noted that the raid exposed a clash between U.S. aims to restore domestic manufacturing and an immigration system that limits foreign work authorization.
The Georgia operation followed a period of intensified economic engagement between the two countries. In late July, Seoul pledged substantial U.S. investments as part of a tariff deal, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with President Trump in Washington on Aug. 25. Analysts said those commitments and the concentration of Korean manufacturers in Georgia — a state that has become a hub for South Korean investment — have amplified the political sensitivity of the raid.
Cho told lawmakers his ministry would press the United States to respond more adequately to Seoul’s long-standing requests to expand visa categories for skilled workers. South Korean officials framed the immediate diplomatic focus on securing the swift return or reentry of detained workers, while using the incident to strengthen negotiations on longer-term labor and visa arrangements that officials say are necessary to support ongoing and future industrial projects in the United States.
U.S. immigration officials have characterized the raid as part of a broader enforcement campaign. South Korean leaders and business groups, however, say that without clearer and more flexible legal pathways for temporary skilled labor, companies risk operational disruptions that could undermine both Korean investment plans and U.S. manufacturing goals.
As the foreign minister begins talks in Washington, Seoul is balancing domestic pressure for a strong response with strategic ties to the United States that officials say remain essential to national security and economic cooperation.