The image shows employees at a manufacturing plant waiting to tie their feet at the Hyundai Motor Group electric vehicle factory on Thursday, September 4, 2025 in Eravel, Georgia.
Corey Bullard | US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency via the AP
Hundreds of people among those detained by US immigration authorities while working on building electric vehicle battery plants for Georgia Hyundai and LG Energy Solutions are expected to return to South Korea on a chartered plane in Atlanta on Wednesday.
South Korean Air Boeing 747-8i, departing from Seoul, landed in Atlanta on Wednesday to bring together those workers.
US officials have not said whether any of the workers will be released from custody or when they will be allowed to return to South Korea.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday morning.
A spokesman for South Korea’s Foreign Ministry told reporters on Tuesday that it plans to fly about 300 LG employees from their homes on Wednesday, with detailed plans being announced when preparations are finished.
However, as of noon on Wednesday, no flight plans had been announced.
Nevertheless, the charter plane landing at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport appeared to indicate that the return process was ongoing.
“Our people who have been detained by US immigration authorities will soon return,” South Korean President Ye Jae Myung told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Lee held a friendly meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on August 25th. However, he condemned the controversial detention of hundreds of Korean engineers and energy experts in the September 4th attack.
“We hope that there will never be any unjust violations on our people and businesses’ activities in pursuit of shared development between Korea and the US,” Lee said.
“Our government will move quickly through close consultations with the US, and will proceed with reasonable institutional improvements to ensure that similar lawsuits do not arise again,” Lee said.
American officials said 475 people were detained after being attacked on Thursday at a massive location near Savannah last Friday. More than 300 Koreans were among those who were said to lack the necessary documents to work in the United States.
The majority of those detained reportedly worked as subcontractors.
The attack came soon after South Korea, which pledged to invest a whopping $500 billion in South Korea’s strategic US industry. The pledge included a $26 billion commitment by Hyundai.
– NBC News ‘Stella Kim contributed report
