A specially chartered flight carrying more than 300 South Korean workers detained in a U.S. immigration raid has landed safely at Incheon International Airport.
The workers were among 475 people arrested last week at a Hyundai–LG battery plant construction site in Georgia — the largest single-site immigration operation since President Donald Trump resumed office in January.
The Korean Air Boeing 747-8I departed Atlanta earlier on Friday and touched down at Seoul’s main gateway at 3:25 p.m. local time. A foreign ministry official confirmed that the repatriation proceeded “smoothly” with all scheduled passengers on board.
South Koreans accounted for the majority of those detained, many of whom were reportedly on visas that did not authorize manual construction work.
The incident has sparked diplomatic tensions, with President Lee Jae Myung describing the raid as “bewildering” and warning it could chill future South Korean investment in the U.S.
Construction at the Georgia plant — a $4.3 billion joint venture — is now expected to face months of delays.
Hyundai executives acknowledged that replacing the detained workforce will be difficult, as most skilled workers were brought in from South Korea.
Images of workers in handcuffs triggered outrage back home, with unions demanding an apology from the Trump administration and calling on Seoul to reconsider U.S. investment commitments. Protesters at Incheon airport greeted the returning workers with placards criticizing Washington’s actions.
Seoul dispatched a high-level task force to negotiate the workers’ release and to secure assurances that they would not face penalties if they sought to re-enter the U.S. LG Energy Solution, which confirmed dozens of its employees were affected, expressed gratitude to the government for “exceptional efforts” in resolving the crisis.
Despite the diplomatic fallout, both Hyundai and LG have reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing U.S. projects, while working to minimize disruptions caused by the raid.
About the Author
