A Diplomatic and Commercial Crisis: Washington and Seoul Reach Deal to Release Detained Hyundai Workers

The South Korean government has announced that it has reached an agreement with the United States for the release of its citizens who were detained in a large-scale immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia. This development follows a period of diplomatic and commercial tensions between the two allied nations.

Kang Hoon-sik, the chief of staff to South Korea's president, stated that a chartered plane would be dispatched to bring the detainees home once the necessary administrative procedures are completed. Kang emphasized that the South Korean authorities are actively working to improve the visa system to prevent such unfortunate incidents from happening again in the future.

The raid was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, who apprehended 475 people, with more than 300 of them being South Korean nationals. The American authorities claimed that these individuals were found to be working illegally at the battery facility, which represents one of the largest foreign investment projects in the state.

Defending the operation, U.S. President Donald Trump said, "They were illegal aliens and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] was just doing its job." U.S. officials asserted that the raid was essential to protect American jobs and to send a clear message that "those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable."

Video footage released by ICE showed Asian workers in shackles in front of a building, with some wearing yellow vests bearing names such as "Hyundai" and "LG CNS".

The timing of the raid, amidst sensitive trade talks between the two countries, has caused significant concern in Seoul. South Korea, a close U.S. ally, has committed to tens of billions of dollars in American manufacturing investment, partly to counteract tariffs. South Korean media widely described the raid as a "shock," with the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper warning that it could have "a chilling effect on the activities of our businesses in the United States."

LG Energy Solution, which operates the plant in partnership with Hyundai, stated that many of its arrested employees were on business trips with various visas or under a visa waiver program. As a result, the company has announced the suspension of most business trips to the U.S. and has instructed employees currently on assignment there to return home immediately.

The factory, which manufactures new electric vehicles, had been hailed by the Republican governor of Georgia as the largest economic development project in the state's history, employing 1,200 people. The arrested workers are currently being held at an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia