Topline
South Korean nationals who were detained after a raid on a Hyundai plant in Georgia by U.S. immigration authorities last week were released early on Thursday, a day later than initially planned, as South Korean officials claimed that President Trump encouraged the detained workers to remain in the U.S. and train Americans.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the workers’ release was delayed as Trump encouraged them to remain in the U.S. as his administration “seeks greater cooperation with Korean companies to revitalize” American manufacturing.
An unnamed foreign ministry official, cited by Korea Times, told reporters that Trump recognized the detained South Korean nationals were “all skilled workers” and he “ wanted to explore whether they could stay in the U.S. to continue working and training American workers, rather than return home.”
As a result of this, Trump had ordered the repatriation process to be put on hold.
The proposal was reportedly floated during a meeting between South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.
The South Korean official, however, turned down the offer, saying the detained individuals were “extremely shocked and exhausted,” and wanted to return to their home country first.
According to Yonhap, Cho proposed setting up a bilateral working group to discuss the creation of a new visa category specifically catering to skilled South Korean workers, something Rubio agreed to “actively review.”
South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung told reporters in Seoul that 316 South Koreans and 14 other foreign nationals will be flying out of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Thursday afternoon, on board a chartered Korean Airlines plane. One worker, however, has decided to remain in the U.S. as they have a family member who is a permanent resident.
The raid took place at an electric vehicle battery plant operated jointly by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution. Last month, Hyundai Motor Group announced it would invest $26 billion in the U.S. between 2025 and 2028. It is unclear if this investment will be impacted, but the Korean president warned that the incident could make Korean companies “very hesitant” about directly investing in the U.S. Lee added, “You need skilled technicians to install equipment at a factory. The U.S. doesn’t have such personnel, yet visas for those coming for this purpose are not allowed.” He then warned that if this continued to remain the case “our companies will face all kinds of difficulties and disadvantages when setting up factories in the U.S., and they will inevitably question whether they should proceed.”