Charter Flight Carrying Released Korean Workers Departs for Incheon After 7 Days in Detention

A charter flight carrying 316 Korean nationals who had been detained and released by U.S. immigration authorities departed from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia, USA, at 11:38 a.m. local time on the 11th. They are scheduled to arrive at Incheon Airport at around 3 p.m. KST on the 12th.

These individuals were arrested on September 4 at the construction site of the Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia, during a sudden crackdown by U.S. immigration authorities targeting illegal stay and employment. They were held at the Folkston detention facility and other locations. After seven days in detention, they are now returning to Korea.

Korean workers who were detained and released by U.S. immigration authorities boarded a Korean Air charter flight at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia, USA, on the 11th (local time). Photo by Yonhap News Agency

At around 2:18 a.m. local time on the same day, the Korean workers released from the Folkston detention facility boarded eight regular buses arranged by Korean companies and traveled for about six hours to arrive at Atlanta Airport, which is 430 kilometers away. One bus carrying female workers released from the Stewart detention facility arrived at the airport earlier.

The buses proceeded directly to the cargo terminal at Atlanta Airport and stopped near the Korean Air charter flight, which had been on standby since the previous day. The workers completed separate departure procedures, including identity verification and boarding pass issuance, at the cargo terminal before boarding the charter flight.

As previously agreed with U.S. authorities, they traveled on the buses in regular clothing without any physical restraints such as handcuffs. The charter flight departed earlier than the originally scheduled time of around noon local time.

A total of 317 Koreans were detained (307 men and 10 women), with one choosing to remain in the United States instead of voluntary departure. Including 14 foreign nationals-10 Chinese, 3 Japanese, and 1 Indonesian-a total of 330 people are returning to Korea. Park Yoonjoo, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Kim Dongmyung, CEO of LG Energy Solution, who traveled to the U.S. to help resolve the situation, also boarded the charter flight.

With this, the large-scale detention and arrest of hundreds of Koreans in the United States-an allied nation-has been brought to a close, despite complications such as a one-day delay in the final repatriation schedule.

The U.S. side has stated that it will ensure the detained Koreans do not face disadvantages when re-entering the United States in the future. However, some point out that, under U.S. law, it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no issues upon re-entry after voluntary departure, so the actual situation will need to be monitored going forward.

Meanwhile, Korea and the United States have begun discussions on designing a new visa for skilled professionals working at Korean-invested companies in the U.S., prompted by this incident.