South Korea’s government says it has reached a deal with Washington to secure the release of its citizens detained in a sweeping immigration raid at a Hyundai battery plant in Georgia, an operation that has cast a shadow over trade ties between the two allies.
Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff to President Yoon Suk-yeol, confirmed on Sunday that a chartered plane would be dispatched to repatriate South Korean nationals once administrative procedures were complete. He added that Seoul would review its visa processes to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The raid, carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday, saw 475 workers taken into custody, more than 300 of them South Korean nationals. ICE officials said those detained were working without authorization at the $5.5 billion factory, one of Georgia’s largest foreign investment projects.
President Donald Trump defended the operation, saying ICE was “just doing its job.” He added, “They were illegal aliens,” dismissing concerns that such enforcement could discourage investment by foreign companies. Video footage released by ICE showed Asian workers in shackles outside a building, some wearing yellow vests marked “Hyundai” and “LG CNS.”
“People on short-term or recreational visas are not authorized to work in the US,” ICE said in a statement. Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Steven Schrank added that the raid was necessary to protect American jobs, warning, “This operation sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable.”
The timing of the raid has stirred unease in Seoul, where officials worry it could affect ongoing trade negotiations. South Korea has pledged tens of billions of dollars in US manufacturing projects, including large-scale battery and semiconductor facilities, partly to ease tensions over tariffs.
LG Energy Solution, which runs the Georgia plant in partnership with Hyundai, said many of its employees detained by ICE were on business trips under various visas or the visa waiver program. The company said it would suspend most business travel to the US and order staff currently on assignment to return home.
South Korean media outlets described the raid as a “shock.” The influential Dong-A Ilbo newspaper warned it could have “a chilling effect on the activities of our businesses in the United States.”
The Hyundai-LG facility, promoted by Georgia’s Republican governor as the state’s largest-ever economic development project, employs around 1,200 people to produce electric vehicles. Those detained are currently being held at an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia.
LG said 47 of its employees and about 250 contract workers at the joint venture plant were among those arrested.
