Flight departs Atlanta for Korea with workers detained after Hyundai ICE raid
A Korean Air plane took off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Thursday carrying workers who were detained in a raid at a battery plant on the Hyundai Metaplant campus near Savannah last week, then released early Thursday to return to South Korea.
The Boeing 747 took off at 11:38 a.m., following a string of commercial Delta Air Lines flights off the airfield of the Atlanta airport and into clear, cloudless skies.
Media gathered atop a nearby airport parking deck to see the light blue plane’s departure, including several journalists from Korean outlets.
The workers traveled by bus from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Folkston early Thursday morning, according to The Associated Press. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the detainees released by U.S. authorities included 316 Koreans, 10 Chinese nationals, three Japanese nationals and one Indonesian, the wire service reported.
About 475 workers — including the more than 300 Koreans — were detained last Thursday after an ICE raid at the construction site of a battery factory jointly developed by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, according to officials.
Hyundai’s factory site includes vehicle production and the battery factory that’s being developed as part of the joint venture.
South Korean officials said they negotiated with the U.S. to win “voluntary” departures of the workers, rather than deportations that could result in making them ineligible to return to the U.S. for up to 10 years, AP reported.
Korean Air flew the 747 to Atlanta on Wednesday to transport the workers, but plans to take off Wednesday were delayed.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with South Korea Foreign Minister Cho Hyun at the White House on Wednesday morning.
A South Korean Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the diplomatic process, said President Donald Trump had halted the process to hear from South Korea on whether the Koreans should be allowed to stay to continue their work and help train U.S. workers or should be sent back to South Korea, AP reported.
South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung said during his news conference that the U.S. gave the detainees a choice between staying and going home, according to AP. Ultimately, one South Korean national who has relatives in the U.S. chose to stay, Lee said.
Lee called Thursday for improvements to the United States’ visa system, saying Korean companies will likely hesitate to make new investments in the U.S. until that happens, the AP reported.
About the Authors
As business team lead, Kelly Yamanouchi edits and writes business stories. She graduated from Harvard and has a master's degree from Northwestern.
