ATLANTA — Nearly a month after more than 300 South Korean nationals were snatched up by ICE at a Hyundai plant in South Georgia, the final person has been released from custody in their native country.
They were among about 475 people detained during the Sept. 4 immigration raid at a battery factory under construction on the campus of Hyundai’s sprawling auto plant west of Savannah.
According to the Korean news agency YNA, the last person who was in custody from the raid 22 days ago has now been released.
After making an agreement with the South Korean government, U.S. immigration officials sent the detained Korean nationals back to their native country without being charged.
They flew out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sept. 11 and made it back to South Korea by Sept. 12.
Their roundup and the U.S. release of video showing some Korean workers shackled with chains around their hands, ankles and waists caused public outrage and a sense of betrayal in South Korea, a key U.S. ally.
After their charter plane, a Boeing 747-8i from Korean Air, landed at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul, they appeared in an arrivals hall, with senior officials, including presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, clapping hands. One hugged Kang.
Hwang In-song, the brother of one worker, told The Associated Press he had been unable to reach his sibling until he finally received a text message on Sept. 11, saying his brother was safe. He said that the past week was “the hardest time” for their family.
“We asked him if he was OK health-wise, and he said he was in good health. We didn’t get to talk much because he was about to board the plane,” Hwang said.
Choi Yeon-ju, the 64-year-old mother of another worker, said her son also finally made a short phone call to their family that night.
“He didn’t say much about how he was, just saying he was OK and telling us not to worry too much,” she said, adding her son’s detention was “incredibly shocking and stunning.”
The battery plant, a joint venture between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, is one of more than 20 major industrial sites that South Korean companies are currently building in the United States. They include other battery factories in Georgia and several other states, a semiconductor plant in Texas and a shipbuilding project in Philadelphia, a sector Trump has frequently highlighted in relation to South Korea.
The raid has been a significant point of contention, with the South Korean government expressing dissatisfaction.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is set to make a trip to South Korea next month, leading an economic mission to the country.
This will be Kemp’s third visit to the Republic of Korea, highlighting the importance of the relationship.
The trip was planned well before the ICE raid happened at the Hyundai facility.
“I think it’s great that he’s going,” said State Rep. Debra Silcox, a Republican from Sandy Springs in an earlier interview with Channel 2’s Richard Elliot. “I always think it’s a great idea to go and just visit a country that we already have a great relationship with and done a lot of trade with.”
State Rep. Lydia Glaize, a Democrat from Fairburn, expressed hope for continued cooperation.
“What I hope that will come out of it will (be) that we’ll be back in square one, working together,” Glaize said.
Kemp’s trip will also include a visit to Japan.
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