Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Charter flight carrying released Korean workers arrives in Seoul
Korean workers who had been detained by U.S. immigration authorities arrive at Incheon International Airport, Friday, eight days after being arrested at a Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution battery plant construction site in Ellabell, Ga. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Bahk Eun-ji
Hundreds of Korean workers taken into custody in Georgia during a U.S. immigration raid arrived in Seoul Friday afternoon, bringing to a close a weeklong ordeal that has triggered fresh debate over visa rules and labor protections for Korean companies in America.
A Korean Air charter flight carrying more than 300 passengers landed at Incheon International Airport at 3:24 p.m., according to government and company officials. The group includes 316 Koreans and 14 foreign nationals, including people from China, Japan and Indonesia, who were released from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Folkston, Georgia.
Most of the workers had been employed at a construction site for a Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution battery plant, where U.S. authorities carried out an unexpected immigration sweep on Sept. 4 (local time). They were held for seven days before negotiations led to their release and repatriation.
Deputy Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, who was dispatched earlier this week to oversee the process, accompanied the workers on the flight and returned with them to Korea. The presidential office has confirmed that Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik was at the airport to greet them, highlighting the seriousness with which the government has treated the incident.
“We did our best, but I regret that we could not bring them home sooner," Kang told reporters at the airport. "He said the government had worked with the mindset of helping “my own family and friends” and thanked the public for their patience during the crisis. Kang also noted that psychological counseling would be considered to help the workers adjust, and pledged to pursue improvements in U.S. visa and residency systems, including new categories mentioned by U.S. President Trump.
Presidential National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac speaks during a press briefing on diplomatic issues at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
Presidential National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac also briefed reporters after the returnees’ arrival, emphasizing that the government had mobilized “all available channels” from the outset. He said Seoul had dispatched consular staff to Georgia and set up a task force led by the foreign minister, while engaging closely with the U.S. State Department, the National Security Council and members of Congress.
“The result was that 316 of our nationals, except for one individual who pursued a separate legal process, were able to come back voluntarily without criminal records,” Wi said. He added that Korea and the U.S. are now working on both short-term fixes, such as clearer guidelines on B-1 and Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) visas, and longer-term measures, including the possible creation of a new visa category for Korean workers dispatched for major investment projects.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, who had been in Washington since Tuesday, was also expected to return to Korea Friday after meeting U.S. senators to discuss long-term safeguards. During the meeting, Cho pressed for new visa categories to support Korean specialists sent to the U.S. for investment projects, and suggested establishing a bilateral working group on immigration issues.
The mass detention prompted urgent diplomatic efforts from Seoul, which emphasized that the workers had been legitimately dispatched to support a multibillion-dollar investment. Korean officials secured assurances that the detainees would be released without being handcuffed or having criminal records, enabling them to travel home in civilian clothing and avoiding the stigma of deportation.
A total of 330 workers — including 316 Koreans and 14 foreign nationals (10 from China, three from Japan and one from Indonesia) — who had been held at a U.S. immigration detention facility board buses after arriving at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2, Friday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
LG Energy Solution said it shared the cost of the charter flight with Hyundai Engineering, estimated at around 1 billion won ($720,000). The companies also arranged ground transportation for all returnees, as well as accommodation and airfare support for foreign nationals wishing to return home.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick placed the blame squarely on Hyundai, claiming that the company had brought workers to Georgia on tourist visas. Speaking in the first episode of The Axios Show, he said, “I called the Koreans and said, ‘Oh, give me a break. Get the right visas, and if you’re having trouble, call me. I’ll call Kristi Noem. We’ll help you get the right one, but don’t do it the wrong way.” Lutnick added, “You can’t do things the old way. Donald Trump requires you to do things correctly. If you want to immigrate or bring workers here, go through the correct process. You can’t skirt the rules anymore. That is over.”
Although Lutnick expressed confidence that the raid would not deter future foreign investment, the controversy has fueled concerns in Seoul that U.S. immigration enforcement could conflict with Washington’s calls for increased Korean investment. President Lee Jae Myung has already warned that such incidents could deter companies from proceeding with large-scale projects in the U.S.
Seoul's priority was to first ensure the safe return of the workers and then address systemic issues with Washington.
Families, corporate representatives and government officials gathered at Incheon Airport to welcome the workers home. Their return marked the end of a week in detention abroad and paves the way for broader discussions on how to prevent such a crisis from happening again.