Seoul: South Korea has concluded diplomatic talks with the United States to facilitate the release of its nationals detained during a large-scale immigration raid at a Hyundai battery plant in Georgia. According to Yonhap News, citing a senior presidential official, arrangements are now being made for the repatriation of the workers, with an aircraft expected to transport them once administrative procedures are finalized.
The detention of 475 workers, many of them South Korean citizens, by U.S. immigration authorities at Hyundai’s electric vehicle battery facility near Savannah, Georgia, marked the largest single-site enforcement action ever carried out by the Department of Homeland Security. The unprecedented scale of the raid alarmed Seoul and immediately triggered high-level diplomatic engagement between the two allies.
Seoul expressed strong dissatisfaction over the manner of the detentions. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry held urgent calls with U.S. counterparts, pressing for the swift release of its nationals and demanding fair treatment. Officials also criticized the circulation of footage showing workers being restrained during the raid, calling it “regrettable” and “damaging to human dignity.”
Hyundai clarified that none of those detained were directly employed by the company, and that most were contract or partner staff. Meanwhile, LG Energy Solution, a partner in the plant’s operations, dispatched senior executives to Georgia to manage the crisis. Both companies pledged full cooperation with authorities and offered support to affected workers, signaling a bid to contain reputational damage as the controversy unfolded.
The arrests came at a highly sensitive time in U.S.–South Korea relations. The two countries are currently negotiating a major $350 billion investment and trade package tied to tariffs and industrial cooperation. Observers noted that the raid threatened to sour the mood after months of progress, complicating Washington’s efforts to portray itself as a stable partner for Seoul in economic and security matters.
The resolution of the workers’ detention through diplomacy underscores the delicate balance between domestic law enforcement actions in the United States and the maintenance of international trust. For South Korea, the rapid intervention demonstrated its determination to protect its citizens abroad, while for Washington, it served as a reminder that immigration crackdowns can carry serious diplomatic consequences when foreign nationals are involved.