South Korea says it has reached a deal with US as over 300 nationals held to be freed, flown home

More than 300 South Korean workers detained in a US immigration raid at a Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia will soon be released and flown home, Seoul said Sunday after concluding talks with Washington.

Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik announced that only “administrative procedures” remain before a chartered plane is sent to bring the workers back. “As a result of a swift and united response, negotiations for the release of the detained workers have been concluded,” he said.

The raid, carried out Thursday in Ellabell, saw hundreds of federal agents detain 475 people, most of them South Koreans. US authorities released footage of workers in handcuffs and ankle chains being led onto buses, sparking outrage in Seoul.

South Korea’s foreign ministry confirmed that more than 300 of its nationals were among those held. LG Energy Solution, Hyundai’s partner in the EV battery project, said 47 of its employees were detained, along with hundreds working for contractors.

The raid is the largest single-site immigration sweep under President Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented workers and caught Seoul officials by surprise. South Korea’s government expressed “concern and regret” and dispatched diplomats to Georgia.

Most detainees were taken to an immigration center near the Florida border. US officials said no criminal charges have been filed yet, and the investigation is ongoing.

LG Energy Solution sent a senior executive to Georgia on Sunday, who stressed that the “immediate priority” was securing the release of company staff and partner employees.

The Ellabell plant, still under construction, has been touted as Georgia’s largest-ever economic development project. The raid has fueled diplomatic unease between Washington and one of its closest allies.