South Korea Sends Charter Plane to the US to Repatriate Detained concerns

A Korean Air charter plane departed from Seoul’s Incheon International Airport on Wednesday morning, bound for the United States, to facilitate the repatriation of hundreds of South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid. The workers were among the 475 individuals arrested at a Hyundai-LG battery plant under construction in Georgia, with most being South Korean nationals holding visas that allegedly don’t permit hands-on construction work.

According to reports, a tentative agreement has been reached between the US and South Korean authorities to ensure the detained workers won’t face penalties, such as a five-year ban on re-entry. South Korea’s Foreign Minister, Cho Hyun, met with US officials in Washington, urging for the swift return of the workers in good health.

The minister described the mass detention as a “grave situation” and stated that negotiations are progressing well.

The Hyundai-LG project, valued at $4.3 billion, is a significant investment in the US, reflecting South Korea’s substantial economic ties with America. As Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a major automaker and electronics producer, South Korea has multiple plants in the US, making this incident a point of concern for both nations.

The chartered plane is scheduled to return to Seoul on Thursday with the detained workers. While the exact timeline for the return flight was not finalized, diplomatic sources indicate the plane will depart the US on Thursday, carrying the workers back home.