{"id":164102,"date":"2025-09-12T09:25:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T09:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/south-koreans-detained-in-u-s-immigration-raid-arrive-back-home-to-applause-and-protests-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T09:25:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T09:25:08","slug":"south-koreans-detained-in-u-s-immigration-raid-arrive-back-home-to-applause-and-protests-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/south-koreans-detained-in-u-s-immigration-raid-arrive-back-home-to-applause-and-protests-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"South Koreans detained in U.S. immigration raid arrive back home to applause and protests – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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INCHEON, South Korea \u2014 Hundreds of South Korean workers detained in a U.S. immigration raid<\/a> arrived in Seoul on Friday, ending a weeklong ordeal that has created business uncertainty <\/a>and strained relations with a key U.S. ally.
More than 300 South Koreans \u2014 307 men and 10 women \u2014 were among 475 people detained in the Sept. 4 raid on a Hyundai facility<\/a> in Georgia<\/a> by U.S. immigration and other federal officials who said they were investigating allegations of unlawful employment practices.
The Korean Air plane was also carrying 14 employees of South Korean companies from China<\/a>, Japan<\/a> and Indonesia<\/a>, while one of the 317 South Koreans decided to remain in the United States rather than agree to \u201cvoluntary departure.\u201d
Dozens of television cameras were set up behind security barriers at Incheon International Airport outside Seoul to capture the workers returning home with dignity, in what South Korean officials hope will be a salve for a public that was shocked and angered<\/a> by images of their compatriots being shackled and treated like criminals by U.S. immigration officials.
A man protesting in the terminal held up a sign that read in part, \u201cDo we keep investing in the U.S. despite backstabbing?\u201d
Another unfurled a banner showing a likeness of President Donald Trump<\/a> in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement uniform carrying a bag of cash. It read: \u201cWe\u2019re friends. Aren\u2019t we?\u201d
The workers came out of the baggage claim in groups, accompanied by officials and police officers. Some waved, some carried bags or other belongings, and many were wearing masks. There was some applause from onlookers as each new group emerged.
More than a dozen buses parked outside the arrivals area waited to take the returning workers to be reunited with their families elsewhere.
The plane, which was chartered by the South Korean government, took off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around noon ET on Thursday, a day after South Korean officials had originally hoped.
The South Korean foreign ministry said Trump delayed the repatriation in order to discuss with South Korea<\/a> whether its detained nationals should remain in the U.S. to continue their work helping to set up an electric vehicle battery plant being jointly built by South Korean companies Hyundai and LG Energy Solution.
South Korean officials said it would be best for them to return home first after spending a week in ICE detention.
The workers were released shortly after 2 a.m. ET Thursday from the Folkston ICE Processing Center in rural Georgia, without any physical restraints such as handcuffs \u2014 one of South Korea\u2019s main demands in negotiations with U.S. officials.
Construction on the $4.3 billion battery plant, part of a bigger complex in the town of Ellabell that is expected to create about 8,500 American jobs, has been delayed by at least two to three months, a spokesperson for Hyundai North America confirmed to NBC News on Thursday, citing Hyundai chief executive Jose Munoz.
Of the detained South Koreans, 47 were employed<\/a> by LG Energy Solution and the rest were hired by subcontractors. Hyundai, South Korea\u2019s largest automaker, said none of its direct employees were detained.
In a statement, LG Energy Solution apologized to the workers and their families and thanked the South Korean government and others who worked to secure their release.
\u201cWe are profoundly thankful for the extraordinary efforts to not only ensure an unusually swift release but also to carefully address various concerns, including guaranteeing that there will be no disadvantages upon re-entry,\u201d the company said.
\u201cAbove all, our company deeply empathizes with the hardship endured by those affected.\u201d
The workers were in the U.S. under various short-term visa programs that are commonly used for business trips but whose exact guidelines aren\u2019t always clear. Many in South Korea have questioned the fairness of the Trump administration suddenly cracking down on a practice the U.S. has tolerated for years.
The incident has raised concerns about the potential impact on business ties with South Korea, which has pledged $500 billion in U.S. investment, including $26 billion from Hyundai, as part of tariff negotiations.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung<\/a>, who met with Trump at the White House<\/a> just weeks before the raid, said Thursday that it could make companies more hesitant to invest in the U.S.
Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University\u2019s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, said it was standard practice for experts from other countries to travel to the U.S. to set up and install high-tech equipment, especially when it involves patents or other sensitive information such as battery cells for electric vehicles.
The jobs created by projects such as the Hyundai-LG battery plant are difficult for American workers to do if they haven\u2019t been properly trained by those experts, he said.
\u201cIt\u2019s not a good look when the South Korean government has to charter a plane to bring its citizens home over alleged visa inconsistencies,\u201d Wheaton said. \u201cIt sends a message to other potential foreign investors that building plants here carries risk of arrest or detainment.\u201d
About 145 workers from other countries, including Guatemala, Colombia, Chile, Mexico<\/a>, Ecuador and Venezuela, remain in detention after the raid. The Korean Metal Workers\u2019 Union and the United Auto Workers called for their release, saying their employers had forced them to shoulder the visa risk.
\u201cCapital must stop shifting the burden of identified crises onto the backs of workers and instead take full responsibility for ensuring a safe work environment,\u201d they said in a statement<\/a> Thursday.
Janis Mackey Frayer and Ed Flanagan reported from Incheon, Jennifer Jett from Hong Kong and Stella Kim from Los Angeles.<\/em>
Janis Mackey Frayer is a Beijing-based correspondent for NBC News.
Ed Flanagan is a Beijing-based producer for NBC News. He has been part of the NBC News team in China since 2005 and has covered the region — from North Korea to Japan as well.\u00a0
Jennifer Jett is the Asia Digital Editor for NBC News, based in Hong Kong.
Stella Kim is an NBC News freelance producer based in Seoul.
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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