Hundreds Of South Korean Workers Return To Seoul After Detained In The US

UNSPLASH/Oning ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - More than 300 South Korean workers returned to their country on Friday after being detained for a week by US immigration authorities in Georgia.

The repatriation of workers at the electric car battery factory ended an unprecedented incident that confused Seoul and caused confusion over relationships with its allies.

A Korean Air chartered plane carrying 316 South Koreans and 14 foreign nationals landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, Friday, September 12.

Reported by ANTARA, the workers were flown a day after being released from detention following immigration operations last week at a construction site jointly run by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution Ltd. in Bryan.

They were released from detention facilities in Folkston on Thursday morning (local time), after Seoul made intensive efforts to secure their release and repatriation through negotiations with Washington.

The detention sparked high-ranking South Korean diplomats flying to Washington and meeting with Trump officials to discuss the matter, while senior Hyundai and LG executives are also heading to Georgia to manage the impact of the incident.

After negotiations, Seoul and Washington agreed to release workers and return them to Korea on a voluntary departure, not deportation. Seoul is trying to ensure these detentions do not have a negative impact on their future trip to the US.

The release of workers was delayed by one day as US President Donald Trump pushed them to stay in the country, Seoul officials said, as his administration seeks to expand cooperation with Seoul to rebuild the shipbuilding industry, semiconductors, and other sectors in the US.

Seoul said workers would return home and could plan their next trip to the United States afterward.

Among the foreign nationals who took part in the flight, there were 10 Chinese, three Japanese, and one Indonesian citizen. Most of those detained were men, with only 10 women among them.

One of the South Koreans who has a family in the US chose to remain in custody and take legal action.

The detention sparked a wave of public shocks and sparked public outrage in South Korea after US immigration authorities released video footage showing Koreans being examined, handcuffed by a metal chain, before being put into a transport vehicle.

Most workers use short-term business visas or 90-day recreational visas to work. They argue that the current US visa system limits their ability to carry out projects in America and calls for visa reforms, such as creating new work visas or increasing visa quotas.

Source: Yonhap-OANA