SEOUL – More than 300 South Korean workers who were arrested in a large-scale U.S. immigration raid at a Hyundai Motor Group factory in Georgia are set to be released and repatriated, the South Korean government announced on Sunday, September 7th. The resolution follows urgent high-level negotiations between the two allied nations.
Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff for President Lee Jae Myung, stated that Seoul and Washington had concluded talks regarding the workers' release. He added that the South Korean government plans to send a chartered flight to bring the nationals home as soon as the remaining administrative procedures are completed.
The diplomatic push to resolve the situation is intensifying, with South Korean media reporting that Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is scheduled to travel to the United States on Monday for further discussions.
The incident began on Thursday when hundreds of federal agents swarmed the sprawling Hyundai campus in Georgia, a key site where the South Korean automaker is building its new electric vehicle production facilities. U.S. immigration authorities confirmed on Friday that they had arrested 475 people, the majority of whom were South Korean citizens. The raid specifically targeted a battery plant, still under construction, which is a joint venture between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution.
The raid, described as part of the Trump administration's broader program of workplace enforcement actions, was nonetheless highly unusual. Its massive scale and the choice of target—a project long hailed by state officials as Georgia’s largest-ever economic development project—sent shockwaves through the business and diplomatic communities.
The move was particularly stunning in South Korea, a key U.S. ally. The relationship had recently been reinforced by significant economic agreements, including a deal in July for South Korea to purchase $100 billion in U.S. energy and make $350 billion in U.S. investments in exchange for lowered tariffs. The raid also came just two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee held their first summit in Washington.
In response to the arrests, President Lee's office issued a firm statement, emphasizing that the rights of South Korean citizens and the economic activities of its companies "must not be unfairly infringed upon" during U.S. law enforcement processes. The South Korean Foreign Ministry also released a statement expressing "concern and regret" over the incident and immediately dispatched diplomats to the site.
On Saturday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released video footage showing a convoy of vehicles entering the factory grounds and federal agents instructing workers to line up outdoors. Some of the arrested individuals were shown with their hands on a bus while being searched before being restrained with ties on their hands, feet, and waists.
Most of the detainees were transported to an immigration detention center in Folkston, Georgia. Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia, stated at a press conference on Friday that no one had yet been criminally charged, noting the investigation is ongoing. He explained that some of the arrested workers had crossed into the U.S. illegally, while others had entered legally but had overstayed their visas or were working in violation of the U.S. visa waiver program.
Looking forward, Presidential Chief of Staff Kang said that South Korea will push to "review and improve" the visa system for its citizens traveling to the U.S. for business related to investment projects, aiming to prevent similar incidents in the future.
