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SEOUL, South Korea -- More than 300 South Korean workers detained pursuing a monolithic migration raid astatine a Hyundai works successful Georgia volition beryllium released and brought home, the South Korean authorities announced Sunday.
Kang Hoon-sik, main of unit for President Lee Jae Myung, said that South Korea and the U.S. had finalized negotiations connected the workers' release. He said South Korea plans to nonstop a charter level to bring the workers location arsenic soon arsenic remaining administrative steps are completed.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is to permission for the U.S. connected Monday for talks related to the workers' releases, South Korean media reported.
U.S. migration authorities said Friday they detained 475 people, astir of them South Korean nationals, erstwhile hundreds of national agents raided Hyundai's sprawling manufacturing tract successful Georgia wherever the Korean automaker makes electrical vehicles. Agents focused connected a works that is inactive nether operation astatine which Hyundai has partnered with LG Energy Solution to nutrient batteries that powerfulness EVs.
Cho said that much than 300 South Koreans were among the detained.
The cognition was the latest successful a agelong enactment of workplace raids conducted arsenic portion of the Trump administration's wide deportation agenda. But the 1 connected Thursday is particularly chiseled due to the fact that of its ample size and the information that authorities officials person agelong called the targeted tract Georgia's largest economical improvement project.
The raid stunned galore successful South Korea due to the fact that the state is simply a cardinal U.S. ally. It agreed successful July to acquisition $100 cardinal successful U.S. vigor and marque a $350 cardinal concern successful the U.S. successful instrumentality for the U.S lowering tariff rates. About 2 weeks ago, U.S. President Donald Trump and Lee held their archetypal gathering successful Washington.
Lee said the rights of South Korean nationals and economical activities of South Korean companies indispensable not beryllium unfairly infringed upon during U.S. instrumentality enforcement procedures. South Korea's Foreign Ministry separately issued a connection to explicit "concern and regret" implicit the lawsuit and sent diplomats to the site.
Video released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement connected Saturday showed a caravan of vehicles driving up to the tract and past national agents directing workers to enactment up outside. Some detainees were ordered to enactment their hands up against a autobus arsenic they were frisked and past shackled astir their hands, ankles and waist.
Most of the radical detained were taken to an migration detention halfway successful Folkston, Georgia, adjacent the Florida authorities line. None has been charged with immoderate crimes yet, Steven Schrank, the pb Georgia cause of Homeland Security Investigations, said during a quality league Friday, adding that the probe was ongoing.
He said that immoderate of the detained workers had illegally crossed the U.S. border, portion others had entered the state legally but had expired visas oregon had entered connected a visa waiver that prohibited them from working.
Kang, the South Korean statesmanlike main of staff, said that South Korea volition propulsion to reappraisal and amended visa systems for those traveling to the U.S. connected concern trips for concern projects.
The video successful the subordinate supra is from a erstwhile report.
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