The South Korean government announced on Sunday (September 7th) that negotiations with the United States regarding the release of detained South Korean citizens have been completed, and South Korea will send a charter flight to bring them back. These South Korean workers were arrested during a raid by the U.S. government on a battery plant of Hyundai Motor Group in Georgia.
Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of the Presidential Secretariat of South Korea, stated on Sunday that after the negotiations between South Korea and the United States were completed, there are still administrative procedures to follow. Once the process is concluded, the South Korean government will send a charter flight to bring back the detained South Korean workers.
Kang Hoon-sik further mentioned that for individuals traveling to the United States for investment projects, the government will review and improve visa processing mechanisms to “prevent similar incidents from happening again.”
According to reports from South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, diplomatic sources revealed that Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will visit the United States this week to meet with U.S. government officials and urge them to ensure the rights of South Korean citizens are not violated.
On September 4th, after several months of investigation, a joint operation led by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and multiple law enforcement agencies conducted a raid on the construction site of the Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution’s jointly-owned battery plant in Georgia, arresting 475 individuals, including over 300 South Korean citizens.
This raid was particularly unusual due to its large scale and targeting one of Georgia’s largest and most prominent manufacturing bases. Additionally, the mass detention of South Korean citizens made this operation stand out, as compared to nationals of other countries, South Korean citizens are rarely pursued by the U.S. immigration enforcement agencies.
ICE stated in a press release that those arrested in this operation were working illegally in the United States, violating the terms of their visas or status requirements. ICE emphasized that individuals holding short-term or travel visas are not authorized to work in the U.S.
Special Agent Steven Schrank from the Homeland Security Investigations division responsible for affairs in Georgia and Alabama explained that some detained workers illegally crossed the U.S. border, while others entered legally but their visas had expired or their visa waiver entry permits did not allow them to work in the U.S.
Subsequently, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern about the incident and deep regret. President Lee Jae-myung stated that in U.S. law enforcement procedures, the rights of South Korean citizens and the economic activities of South Korean companies must not be unfairly infringed upon.