More than 300 South Korean workers detained during a US immigration raid in Georgia have landed back in Seoul, as anger over the mass arrests rattled one of Washington’s closest economic allies.
On September 12, a chartered Korean Air flight carrying 330 foreign workers, with 316 of them South Koreans, arrived at Incheon International Airport, ending a week-long detention that began with a surprise raid on a Hyundai-LG Energy Solution battery factory under construction in Georgia.
The operation, which was conducted on September 4, was the largest single-site immigration sweep under President Donald Trump’s renewed crackdown.
Families welcome workers home
Hundreds of relatives crowded Incheon’s arrivals hall, some waving banners and shouting “Welcome back!” as workers walked out of customs. “I’m back! I’m free!” one worker shouted.
The workers recalled being handcuffed, chained by their ankles, and then cramped in detention cells. “No one would have really wanted to stay,” said Jang Yeong-seon, who was among those arrested.
Another detainee told The Associated Press that the most difficult part was sharing a room with another person, “with the toilet right next to where we ate and slept.”
Senior presidential staff, including Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, greeted the workers, while Foreign Minister Cho Hyun urged the media to blur their faces at the workers’ request.
During their detention, families described days of uncertainty, with many only able to text their loved ones hours before departure. It was “the hardest time” for their family, said
Hwang In-song, whose brother was also detained, according to the AP report.
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Dispute over visas clouds future investments
The US authorities said that some of the detained South Koreans had overstayed visas or entered on waivers that prohibited them from working.
However, South Korean officials countered that Washington has long tolerated short-term business or visitor visas for skilled technicians installing equipment at US plants.
In fact, President Lee Jae Myung called the raid “bewildering” and warned it could “have a significant impact on future investment decisions, particularly when evaluating the feasibility of direct operations in the US.”
Seoul has also pressed Washington to improve visa procedures for investment-related workers.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said the two countries agreed to form a working group to explore new visa quotas or categories to prevent a repeat of the incident, AP reported.
“We will discuss all measures, including creating a new visa category, establishing a new quota, and various steps to make obtaining a visa easier,” Cho said to reporters.
South Korean companies have pledged hundreds of billions of dollars towards US factories, including the USD4.3 billion Georgia plant slated to open in 2026.
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Probe launched into possible human rights violations
Seoul has meanwhile opened an investigation into alleged human rights abuses during the raid and detention, after footage showed workers in chains being loaded onto buses, as reported by CNN.
Trade unions in South Korea have also demanded an apology from Trump, while many Koreans said the images left them feeling “betrayed” by an ally, according to a Hankyoreh newspaper.
As such, South Korea has pledged to work with affected companies to “thoroughly investigate” conditions in US custody.
The raid came just weeks after Trump hosted Lee at the White House and shortly after South Korea announced a USD350 billion US investment plan in exchange for tariff cuts.
Hyundai has since said the plant’s opening could be delayed by at least two months, according to CNN.
Trump has publicly assured on his Truth Social account that foreign experts are “welcome” and that he does not want to “frighten off investors.”
However, experts warn that the raid could delay South Korean projects and increase costs in the US – a situation that underscores, as one economist put it, a widening gap between Washington’s stated principles and the reality facing foreign investors, as well as the treatment of foreign workers.
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