By Song Sang-ho and Kim Seung-yeon

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (Yonhap) -- A total of 316 South Korean workers who were detained in a recent U.S. immigration crackdown headed back home aboard a chartered plane Thursday, in a voluntary yet bitter departure amid renewed questions in Seoul over U.S. credibility as a reliable ally.

The Korean Air plane carrying them and 14 foreigners took off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta at noon, a week after their arrest in the raid at an electric vehicle battery plant construction site for a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Bryan County, Georgia.

The workers were released from a detention center in Folkston early in the morning, capping Seoul's strenuous push to end the unprecedented, unsettling detention of its nationals by its only treaty ally.

One South Korean national chose to remain in the U.S. and pursue legal action while in custody. He is reportedly seeking permanent residency and has family in the U.S., all of whom are green card holders.

Others decided to return to Korea in the form of "voluntary departure" rather than deportation. The plane carrying them is expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Friday (Seoul time).

This photo, taken Sept. 10, 2025, shows a chartered Korean Air plane landing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. (Yonhap)

The workers' release came a day later than initially planned as U.S. President Donald Trump encouraged them to stay in the United States, Seoul officials said, given that his administration seeks greater cooperation with Korean companies to revitalize America's shipbuilding, semiconductor, automotive and other industries.

"Many people have put much effort into enabling their safe return," Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo told Yonhap News Agency while he was preparing to board the chartered plane along with the workers.

"I am thankful to the workers who have endured well ... I am very happy that they are able to return safely, and I am glad that things were settled well, as (we) had been worried much and thinking of their family members who had been waiting."

A total of 475 people, including the Koreans, were arrested at the EV battery site -- seen as a key example of the two countries' economic collaboration -- in what Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials dubbed the "largest single site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations."

ICE said they were found to be working illegally in the U.S., including those on short-term or recreational visas that bar them from working. Most Korean workers are said to have been on B-1 temporary visitor visas or entered on the visa waiver program.

Led by Cho Ki-joong, consul general at the Korean Embassy in Washington, an onsite support team had provided consular assistance to the Koreans, while other senior government officials, including Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, launched all-out endeavors to secure their early release and safe repatriation.

The workers as well as their employers were taken aback by the raid as it challenged their longstanding belief that America, their country's alliance partner, is among the most reliable destinations for investment and business collaboration.

The crackdown was feared to put a strain in bilateral ties as ICE video footage of the Koreans shackled with handcuffs and metal chains caused shock, fury, consternation and even a sense of betrayal in South Korea, and raised questions over whether Korean enterprises can stably do business in the U.S.

"This episode is yet another direct hit on overall U.S. credibility as a reliable and trusted partner or ally in Korea and beyond," Rob Rapson, former acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea, told Yonhap News Agency via email.

A U.S. official shackles a worker with a metal chain during an immigration raid at an electric vehicle battery plant construction site for a joint venture of Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Bryan County near Savannah on Sept. 4, 2025, in this photo captured from video footage posted on the website of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The raid came just 10 days after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Trump sought to build personal rapport during their in-person summit at the White House following a framework trade deal in late July, under which Korea committed to investing US$350 billion in the U.S.

Some observers said the detention of Korean workers could have a silver lining. It has brought to the fore the long-festering visa issue for Korean businesses struggling to find stable pathways to deploy their skilled workers to the U.S.

During his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister Cho proposed instituting a working group to discuss the creation of a new visa category for Korean workers -- a proposal that Rubio said he will "actively review," according to Seoul officials.

Cho also secured assurances from the U.S. side that the Korean workers detained in the raid will not face any disadvantages, such as restrictions on their reentry into the U.S.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a press meeting at the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 10, 2025. (Yonhap)

The weeklong detention weighed heavily on the mind of the South Korean president, who has declared the South Korea-U.S. alliance as the very "foundation" of his administration's security and foreign policy.

"I feel a great sense of responsibility as a president who has the ultimate responsibility for the safety of citizens," he said during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.

Critics have said the raid further exposed the contradictory aspect of Trump's policy that has leveraged tariffs to attract foreign investments, while employing a hard-line immigration policy stoking fears among foreign workers who are needed to drive those investment projects.

Apparently mindful of criticism about immigration crackdowns, Trump signaled his willingness Sunday to explore legal ways to help foreign companies investing in the U.S. bring their "smart" people with "great technical talent" into America to hire and train U.S. workers.

Cho Ki-joong (L), consul general at the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., walks out of a detention center in Folkston, Georgia, on Sept. 9, 2025. (Yonhap)

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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