Seoul says talks for release of South Koreans in US immigration raid concluded

ISTANBUL

Seoul announced Sunday that talks for the release of South Korean workers detained in a recent US immigration raid in Georgia have been completed, noting that a chartered flight will depart for the US once administrative procedures are finalized, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon Sik made the remarks during a high-level meeting between the ruling Democratic Party and the government, emphasizing that the chartered plane will travel to the US to bring the detained workers home.

"There are still administrative procedures left," Kang said. "Once the procedures are complete the chartered plane will depart to bring our citizens."

A total of 475 people were arrested in what US officials said was a criminal investigation into alleged unlawful employment practices. More than 300 of those detained were South Koreans.

The development came after South Korean Consular officials began meeting Saturday with South Korean nationals detained in a US immigration crackdown at a Hyundai electric vehicle battery plant site in Georgia.

Officials from the Consulate General in Atlanta met with detainees at an immigration center in Folkston, following their arrests in Thursday's raid at a site in Bryan County operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution Ltd.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Saturday that he may travel to the US after the immigration crackdown, and he is “deeply concerned and feel a heavy sense of responsibility over the arrests of our nationals.”

"We will discuss sending a senior Foreign Ministry official to the site without delay, and, if necessary, I will personally travel to Washington to hold consultations with the US administration," he said.

The Georgia facility has been touted by state officials as a landmark investment. Gov. Brian Kemp called it the “largest economic development project in Georgia history” when it was announced in 2023.

The plant is still under construction and had been scheduled to become fully operational next year, though that timeline is unclear after the raid.