South Korea will dispatch a chartered flight to Atlanta this week to bring home hundreds of its nationals detained during a sweeping US immigration raid at a car battery plant in Georgia.
A Korean Air spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that a Boeing 747-8i with 368 seats will depart from Incheon International Airport as early as Wednesday to retrieve the workers.
The raid, conducted last week by US immigration authorities, led to the arrest of about 475 people, including nearly 300 South Koreans. The plant, a $4.3 billion joint venture between Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution, is part of ongoing efforts to scale up electric vehicle battery production in the United States.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has travelled to Washington to seek diplomatic assurances, including guarantees that detained Koreans will be allowed re-entry into the United States once legal and procedural matters are resolved.
Officials from Seoul have already begun the process of repatriating the workers, according to a senior diplomat who met with them in custody.
The operation was described as the largest single-site enforcement action in the history of the US Department of Homeland Security’s investigative branch. It has not only strained diplomatic channels but also sparked concern in South Korea, which has been working to finalise a trade deal with Washington agreed in July.
The incident underscores the delicate balance between US immigration enforcement and its strategic economic and diplomatic ties with South Korea, a key ally in both trade and security.
Melissa Enoch
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