South Korea secures charter plane for detained workers' return from US
- A charter plane left South Korea to bring back over 300 detained workers from Georgia.
- The workers were held in an immigration detention center after a raid at an industrial site.
- This incident has raised concerns within South Korea regarding U.S. immigration policies and labor relations.
In South Korea, a charter plane departed for the United States on September 10, 2025, to bring home workers who were detained during an immigration raid at a battery factory under construction in Georgia. The raid, which occurred on September 4, resulted in the detention of approximately 475 workers, including over 300 South Koreans. The operations raised significant public outcry in South Korea, where the video footage of the detained workers being shackled fueled national embarrassment and concerns about U.S. immigration policies. Following the raid, the South Korean government engaged in extensive negotiations with U.S. authorities to secure the release of the workers. The emphasis was on achieving voluntary departures instead of deportations, which could render the workers ineligible to return to the United States for a decade. As a result, the Foreign Ministry confirmed that those detained would be moved from a detention center in Folkston, Georgia, to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for their charter flight home. The arrangement comes amidst already strained relations between South Korea and the U.S., particularly on matters related to immigration and labor policies. South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun expressed concerns over the treatment of the workers and called for improvements to the U.S. visa system, which he indicated could influence future South Korean investments in American industrial projects. As the charter flight was prepared for departure, the release of 330 detainees—comprising predominantly South Koreans, but also including other nationalities—was confirmed. This incident serves as a reminder of the complexities and tensions inherent in U.S.-South Korea relations, especially as the U.S. administration continues to emphasize stricter immigration enforcement measures that impact South Korean businesses and workers.