South Korean workers return home after Hyundai raid ordeal in US

In the wake of the Georgia operation, a trade union group demanded an apology from Trump and urged Seoul to halt US investment plans

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South Korean workers released after days of detention in the US arrive at Incheon airport on Friday. Photo: AP

Published: 2:45pm, 12 Sep 2025Updated: 3:46pm, 12 Sep 2025

A specially chartered flight carrying hundreds of South Korean workers detained in a US immigration raid last week landed at Incheon International Airport on Friday.

South Korean workers accounted for most of the 475 people arrested at a Hyundai-LG battery factory site in the state of Georgia, triggering a delicate effort to resolve the thorny situation between close allies.

The Korean Air Boeing 747-8I, with more than 310 South Koreans on board, departed from Atlanta and touched down on the runway at South Korea’s main gateway in Incheon.

TV footage showed workers, some wearing masks, passing an arrival hall, with senior officials including presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik clapping hands. One hugged Kang.

“Everything at Atlanta went smoothly,” a foreign ministry official said on Friday.

The Georgia raid was the largest single-site operation conducted since US President Donald Trump launched a sweeping immigration crackdown, a top political priority since he returned to office in January.

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